Defender of Mankind: Darker Times Yet
by itsoriginal17
Summary: The 2nd installment of Defender of Mankind. After the events concerning the Avengers & Iron Man 3, we find ourselves at the edge of terror as darkness threatens to take over the Nine Realms. And in the mist of all we find Loki & Alexandria trying to not only combat the evils they're affronted with, but also some of the evils within, all in order to fix the issues amongst them.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers or Loki, only Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family...**

**Ah, it's good to be back... missed you all, my dear readers!**

* * *

Walking down the hallway, Alexandria enjoyed the feeling that surrounded her as her sock-covered feet patted on. She moved around the silent hall, humming to "Cold December Night" as she made her way to her room, happy with her successful cookie nicking. Passing through one of the many rooms, she heard the soft murmur of voices. Intrigued, she backtracked a bit and slowly opened the door about an inch and turned to look in.

Before her lay Tony, on one of those sofas movie shrinks seem to always have, and beside him sat a very bored looking Bruce. Chuckling and deciding to have some mercy on the man she had spent the last five months working with, she entered the room. Walking up to Tony she nudged his legs.

"Move," she almost moaned, before grinning as he sat up and rolled his eyes. She sat cross legged in front of him and munched on her cookie.

"So, with what story did my beloved brother decided to torture you with?" she said, looking at Bruce before munching on her cookie some more.

Both men stared at her before looking at each other in surprise and then turning back to look at her. Confused by their actions, she frowned.

"What? Do I have something on me?" she asked looking down and catching sight of her half eaten cookie she asked, "Oh, did you guys want some? Sorry, I barely managed to nick this one..."

Both shook their heads and Tony said, "You do know it's already noon and yet you are here wearing your pj's and eating cookies?"

Deciding to finish her cookie before answering, she quickly swallows down what was left and shrugs, "It's Christmas morning, or should I say Christmas day, and don't chastise me, brother, you know as well as I do that if it weren't for Pepper making you change you would walk around in your pj's on a daily basis..." Tony glared at her a bit and she smirked, "plus, I am not planning on dressing up until it's five and mom decides to haul us all to church," she watches as Bruce raises an eyebrow in questioning surprise, "And yes, that includes you, Dr. Banner, as well as the rest of the Avengers," she smirks, "although I don't believe Steve will mind it all that much..."

Before any of the men is able to answer to that, a knock draws their attention to the open door.

"Mrs. Moore wants you all to go to eat lunch right now," Steve says, before looking a bit taken aback at the sight Alexandria still on her pajamas.

She simply rolls her eyes as Tony gets up muttering, "Speak of the devil," and leaves the room followed by a flushing Steve.

After they leave, Alexandria turns to the man who has lately become one of her closest's friends, "Do you believe he'll be okay? I mean, after the whole adventure in the portal I was worried enough as it is, but now... now, we weren't even here to help him," she finishes, shaking her head.

Bruce shifts a bit uncomfortably in his chair, before nodding and saying, "Yeah, um, about that, wekindofmadesureyouwouldn'tfindoutintimetocometrya ndhelp," he mumbled.

Looking at him and barely controlling her temper, she spats, "You did what?!"

"We kind of made sure you wouldn't find out in time to come try and help..." he said, shifting a bit more.

Glaring but keeping her tone as civil as possible she asks, "Who is we?"

Looking down at his fidgeting hands, he mutters, "Rai, Tony, and myself..."

At the mention of Rai's name, she turned to look at the her new pendant, one that had been unexpectedly given to her by the over protective entity around a month ago, and which unexpectedness now made sense. Softly tracing the intricate design of the golden crescent moon, she suddenly remembers pendant had become another of those many things that recalled him to her mind, allowing his memory to make an ever present stay in it and as such deep pain, almost like that of a fresh wound reopening, took over her. For his part, Bruce remained quiet, correctly guessing her need for the silent comfort his presence provided after so many months of working hand in hand. Shaking her head in order to try and appease her aching heart, she sighed.

"I... it's Christmas today, we can talk about this later, but you must promise never to keep something like this from me ever again," she paused and looked him in the eye, Bruce promptly nodded, "very well, as for now, try and help Tony as much as we can..."

She stands up and moves towards the door followed by Bruce who had just nodded in both relief and worry.

* * *

Sitting at the lunch table, Alexandria waited patiently until everyone joined. The table was very crowded, after all, all of the Avengers with the exception of Thor were sitting there, right in front of her, as her family sat beside her. General Joseph Moore sat at one of the table's end, his wife and Alexandria's mother, Mrs. Leonora Moore at his right and Bruce at his left, nervously shifting, while on the other end sat Tony, Pepper at his right and Rhodey at his left.

Smiling as she saw the glare on the newly seated Romanoff,and as she had a feeling that her wearing pajamas to lunch wasn't buying her way into anyone's heart, especially that of the Russian assassin, she decided to make the most of it, after all, she was used to her mother glaring at her for her lack of decorum. The truth was that lately, well, it had been months now, actually, she had been seeking any sort of outlet to her pain, something to make adrenaline course through her blood as she tried her best to shut off her psychological mind and ease her hurting heart. It was so that seeing an irritated Romanoff was just proving to tempting, really, and plan devised she turned to her brother.

"Hey, Sam, I've got a question for you, munchkin," the blonde haired boy simply rolled his eyes, he was more than used to the nickname and thought even more ridiculous now that he towered over her, "What would happen if I go and bear hug Agent Sourpuss right now?"

Sam looked between his sister and Romanoff with wide hazel eyes and whispered, "She'll kill you."

Smiling, she answered, "Ah, a good hypothesis, but you can't know that without performing an experiment, now can you?" she teased.

Shaking his head, he sighed, "I can't stop you, can I?"

Beaming she answered, "Nope, not when there's a theory worth testing."

As she moved to do just that, however, she was stopped by a hand on her lower arm and a hissing voice, "Sit down and behave... you should be thankful to even be allowed to wear your pajamas with guests here..."

Knowing better than to fight a loosing battle, Alexandria sat down. Beside her, Taylor laughed.

"You're twenty and you're still scared of mom," the now ten-year-old chuckled.

"Yeah, well, one would think you'd know better than to mess with a hot-headed red head, you know, with being one yourself and all..." Alexandria muttered.

Taylor stuck out her tongue in reply. From beside her she heard her brother call, "You should really stop being such a hypocrite, after all, you were about to mess with a hot-headed red head yourself," Sam chuckled.

"Allow me to inform you, Samuel, that of the two red headed, grown women in this room, Agent Romanoff is the lesser evil."

Hearing her words, Tony chuckle, "Only you, Lexy, would find your own mother scarier than a trained assassin."

Alexandria only stuck her tongue out as a response, before Leonora interrupted their banter, "As well she should be, Anthony, as well she should be."

Surprised, Alexandria looked in between her mother and Tony, and seeing the glint in her mother's eyes as well as the nervous gaze in Tony's, she smirked as the rest of the table dissolved into laughter. And for that just one moment, all the pain was forgotten.

* * *

From his place in the Palace Dungeons, Loki paced, angrily muttering to himself, "Who came up with the brilliant idea of asking the Beast for help? Really, the creature couldn't possibly lie to save his life..."

Sighing, he stopped for a moment to analyze what he had viewed. He wasn't even irritated at the Beast, in fact he was irritated at himself and Alexandria. Months of quite observation had proven to him just how reckless the girl could be. In fact, she had become more reckless than ever before, something that, according to his mother, was very normal. She really never failed to remind him of this whenever she made her almost daily visits to him, these ones in his dreams, which put him more at ease in that prospect.

But, honestly, it seemed to him that the women in his life had it out for him with their reckless behavior, although, yet again, his mother informed him that sometimes, a broken heart wasn't able to mend, and with it came pain, pain that one could usually forget in those moments of adrenaline pumping through ones blood... She had also said it allowed one a break for remembrance, which, with a broken heart, served only as a curse. And as such, Loki couldn't help but to _curse_ himself for it. But honestly, he didn't need a beast to fuel her suicidal tendencies, since he really couldn't allow himself to hope that the necklace was enough.

A sudden clattering of footsteps put a forceful stop to his darkening thoughts.

"Sir, you must really stop being so vindictive," Rai says as he moves to stand in front of a pacing Loki in order to put a stop to the nerve wracking movement and observes the destroyed room, most of the furniture had been turned over. Moments like this were the ones that had Rai wishing that he god of mischief hadn't been able to recently discover that not all of his powers had been... suppressed.

"Well, how am I to be at ease when the only two people I have ever cared for have no sense of self preservation?" Loki growled, before turning away from the entity.

Rai stood there patiently acknowledging the irony of the situation: the more worried the mischievous god became about their rash actions, the rasher he, himself, became.

"Well, sir, all I can advice you, is to keep a cool head in times like this," Rai says as he watches Loki take a deep breath.

Suddenly Loki tenses and his breath hitches as he turns to face the entity and hisses, "What do you mean by times like this, Mjolnir?"

"What I mean, sir, is that darker times are approaching..." Rai answers soberly, a hint of something, almost dread in his voice.

Loki pauses to study the entity before him, "Your keeping something from me, Mjolnir... What is it? Does it involve her?"

Apprehensively, Rai nods, "It does, sir, but you must understand, sir, that I, myself, am not liking it at all, but we truly have no choice..."

Looking at the entity, he tries his best to keep his temper, and points the way out, "Leave me. Now."

Rai moves to do that, all the while inconspicuously watching as Loki blasts one of the chairs and whispers, "We all have choices, I just learned that far too late and now I pay..."

* * *

**_Please review, my lovely readers._**


	2. Planning: Number 1 Cause of Insomnia

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly enough...**

* * *

_"Mistress..."_

_Turning around in the surrounding darkness, Alexandria searches for the source of the voice. Suddenly the darkness begins to slowly fade into a lighter surrounding and Rai appears before her._

_"Mistress, it seems that your aid is now required..." Rai says, a slight hint of worry in his voice._

_"My... my aid..." she asks surprised before frowning and crossing her arms, "my aid is now required..." she snorts,"yeah, sure, but before it was okay to keep me from helping my brother?"  
_

_Cringing, Rai answers, "Mistress, you must understand, we were only trying to protect you..."_

_Sighing, Alexandria runs a hand through her hair, "Very well, what's done is done, but allow me to assure you, Rai, that if something like this ever happens again you'll all pay..." she then pauses and mutters, "you know, this attempt at taking care of me from all of you does explain why Bruce wouldn't watch the news at all during days and since I've never cared about depressing myself with such stuff I never really questioned it... well, now I know better, at least."_

_She paced a bit, fumbling with her necklace before turning to Rai and asking, "So what is this task for which my help is required?"_

_Rai begins his tale, his tone gaining a storytelling quality to it, "A long time ago, before the existence of the universe even, there was only one thing that occupied a place in this existence, it was the darkness. Said darkness has now returned, fiercer and stronger than before as well as vengeful and determined to create as much destruction as possible..."_

_Alexandria stares in shock for a moment, before gaining the courage to ask, "And this darkness... Why haven't the Avengers heard of it?"_

_Rai looks at her with a faint smile, "Because it has been kept under wraps... I am not surprised that you already know something about it, however, considering that Earth Mightiest are in the dark about such things..."_

_Blushing, she turned to look away before answering defensively, "That is only because I accidentally overheard one of Joe's conversations..."_

_"Ah, yes, the General... I am surprised he knows..."_

_Shrugging she answers, "S.H.I.E.L.D. may think they are all high and up, but truthfully, Joe over-ranks them all... It's a matter of trustworthiness, something that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been known to lack..."_

_"Just how high does the General rank, Mistress?" Rai asked, truly curious._

_"It's confidential," the words were an immediate response, the practice of many years, after all a man was only as trustworthy as his family, and with Joe working in deep with covert affairs, they had to be._

_Slightly taken aback by her rash response, he nodded, "Very well, moving on..." here he pauses and brings his fingers out, moving them as if mentally counting, "in a Midgardian week, give or take a day, my current wielder will return..."_

_Surprised, Alexandria raised her eyebrow, "Thor's coming?"_

_Rai nods and continues, "He will come to fulfill the promise he made to Miss Foster and will take her with him to Asgard, in order to protect her from the nearing danger..." _

_Shocked, she nods, not even in her wildest dreams did she expect to personally go to Asgard. Suddenly, her heart skips a beat at the thought of seeing Loki once more, however, she forces the feeling to go away in order to listen to Rai._

_"You must therefore, make your way to Greenwich..."_

_She interrupts him, "As in Greenwich, England?"_

_Rai pauses before nodding, "It is my understanding that Miss Foster and her scientist friends are working at the Old Royal Naval College..."_

_Sighing, Alexandria wonders what they could be possibly be doing there, as well as silently hopping it isn't snowing much, after all five months of living in a tropical climate makes you cold-wary. Gathering said thoughts for later, she answers, "So I have around a week to pack and leave?"_

_Rai nodded and sighing once more, she said, "Thank you, Rai, but, if isn't to much to ask, I would appreciate to be left alone now... I have a lot to plan after all."_

_Bowing, Rai vanished, leaving her alone to the residing lightness and a sudden change in her surroundings._

* * *

Stirring a bit in bed, Alexandria sighed as she sat up. She had too much in mind, and even if sleep hadn't been evading her before, it was a miracle she had somehow fallen asleep that night, she was certain that it wouldn't grace her with it's presence now. Feeling an urgent need to somehow put herself to ease she leaves the room in search of the kitchen, all the way pondering what her drink choice should be: tea always calmed her nerves, but she felt more in need for a sweeter drink, and although hot chocolate suited the season, she feared the chocolaty concoction would only leave her more alert, and so making up her mind to drink some warm milk with cinnamon she moved to enter the kitchen only to stop at her track in shock. There, in front of her, sitting on a chair near the kitchen isle, was a very awake Romanoff. Pondering her options for a moment, but knowing she really had no choice, there was no way she would be able to go to sleep, she entered the room.

"You shouldn't try to sneak behind a trained assassin," the Russian agent called.

Shrugging, Alexandria moved to the fridge and retrieved a milk carton, "Wasn't planning on it..." pausing, she decides it's best to behave, after all, in less than a week she wouldn't have to deal with the acerbic assassin, "Want some?" she asks, motioning the milk toward Romanoff as she moves to the counter to grab some sugar and cinnamon.

Surprised, Romanaoff ponders it a bit before asking, "What are you making?"

As she crutches to reach one of the pots in the lower counters, Alexandria answers, "Warm milk with cinnamon... it's good for late night pondering."

Crossing her arms as she warily watches the younger woman who is busy with the preparations, Romanoff answers, "Very well, I'll take your olive branch..."

Ensuring that the milk will boil properly, Alexandria turned to the red head with a smile, she had forgotten just how witty and clever the Russian could be. Romanoff, for her part, narrowed her eyes in suspicion, before deciding to risk it with a question she had been pondering.

"How is it that you find your mother more... ah, threatening, yes, that's the word, than a trained Russian assassin?"

Alexandria studies her for a moment before bursting in a fit of laughter, "Is this what has kept you awake? The fact that you can't understand how a woman in her late-thirties can scare me more than you can?"

Romanoff resists the urge to huff indignantly and instead glares at the girl, "Don't flatter yourself, you aren't worth the the lack of sleep..."

Nodding, Alexandria turns around to look at the now boiling milk before pouring a precise amount of sugar and cinnamon. She then turns to the agent, "The reason, agent, is rather simple: information. My mother has far more of that then you'll ever get."

Raising her eyebrow, Romanoff asks, "Information? As in blackmail?"

Shaking her head, the brunette answers, "I prefer to call it... ensuring your victim's end of the bargain... and no, information as in she knows just were to throw the punch so that the hit and blow are more effective."

Astounded, Romanoff takes to observing the girl as she turns the stove off and begins to pour the milk into two cups she had retrieved earlier. Moving meticulously, Alexandria allows the information to sink in.

"So... that's why Stark seemed so wary all of the sudden?"

Chuckling, Alexandria sits on one of the counter chairs in front of Romanoff and answers, "No, in his case it_ was_ blackmail."

Romanoff gives a small startled laugh, before saying, "I thought it was 'ensuring your victim's end of the bargain'?"

Smirking, Alexandria raises the cup to her lips, "Maybe..."

They immediately fall into silence, however, as the both sip the warming milk. Said silence extends slightly, although it miraculously isn't awkward, rather like the silent agreement of truce between enemies deciding to take a break and rest their tired and weary souls in the comfort of the winter night.

"So, I've been wondering for some time now," Alexandria begins, breaking the silence and hoping to keep their sudden truce intact, "Are you and Barton dating or what? Because seriously, you are both always together and stuff, you even act mushy around each other..." she finishes, scrunching up her nose in a good imitation of a small child being disgusted by PDA.

Taken aback, Romanoff studies her and sees the obvious innocence in the girl's question, she's honestly only curious, "No, I just owe him a life debt, that's all..." she denies.

Studying Romanoff in turn, Alexandria answers with a snort and a mumbled "Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that."

Romanoff glares before deciding to ask a question of her own, "How come you call everyone by there first name except me and Clint?"

Surprised, Alexandria looks up from her cup and answers, "Honestly? I guess there's a part of my that just hasn't gotten over it yet..."

Narrowing her eyes, the red head looks at her, wondering to herself how this girl could so easily fall for the super villain yet be so unable to forgive her kidnappers, although, then again, the kidnappings had been more personal and he had overheard Tony saying something about Alexandria's prior presonal knowledge concerning the demi-gods. Shaking her head, she decides to put a stop to her psychoanalysis, she really needs no more thoughts in her head to add to her raging insomnia.

"Okay, I am officially astounded, how is it that you two haven't killed each other already?" Tony's gruff voice interrupts them as he enters the room, followed by Steve.

Alexandria smiles at the local insomniacs she really was surprised that she hadn't encountered them before hand and said, "You boys up to some warm milk with cinnamon?"

Looking at each other, both men nod before sitting down, one on each of the assassin's side as Alexandria moved about to prepare some more of the coveted drink. Moving around, she watches the three of them talk, all the while noticing Steve's attempts at not looking directly at the pajama-clad women, causing a true smile to come to her face, before disappearing as soon as it came. She was truly going to miss them and was honestly not prepared to face either Loki or her next task alone.

* * *

"Sir, she has been informed already."

Looking up, Loki tries his best to discern Rai's figure in the darkened prison, after all, the visits have now become nightly, to ensure the safety of all involved. Solemnly nodding, he asks.

"So I cannot keep my word?"

Looking at him, Rai shakes his head, "I'll ensure that you do, sir, there is no easy way out of this."

As he watches the entity leave now that the message is relayed, Loki allows the darkened dungeons to witness a rare smile, the entity really should know better than to help him so. However, unbeknownst to the god, Rai smiles as well, his plan is set to work and now he can only hope it truly works for the best.

* * *

_**Please review: I swear, guys, your reviews make my day.**_


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly** **enough...**

**Thanks to all of my readers, followers, and reviewers... you guys make writing this a thousand times better...**

* * *

Tucking the black trench coat around herself, Alexandria huddled into it as best she could hoping to stop the shivering, one that hadn't been caused by the cold, but rather by the sight she had witnessed moments before. It was her second here at Greenwich, England and she was already frightened out of her wits. During the past few days she had managed to plan her trip, packing just the necessary stuff into her favored and weathered leather backpack which, although not particularly large, served it's purpose still. Clutching said backpack closer she drew a deep breath before remembering the remaining challenges her planning had presented.

Although she had an amounted small fortune thanks to her father's inheritance to her, his only heir, she had already put a strain to it on the past few months, using said money to aid those in need, and she had ended up having to figure out a more accessible plan, last minute plane tickets were expensive after all, and yet, thanks to some friends she made through the many years of traveling with her parents, she had managed. All had been set, except for one thing, how to leave without saying so much as a goodbye? This though had haunted her for days and in the end she ended up having to simply write a letter apologizing for the abrupt leave and promising to come back as soon as she could, all the while without giving them any hints of where she was going or just how dangerous things might get.

And yet, in the end, here she was, a day before the required week, standing within the shadows of the Old Royal Navy College, observing as Jane and Darcy, two former acquaintances she could easily consider friends, dealt with the aftermath of the latest attack. In all honesty, Alexandria was sure that even her prior experience in New York wasn't enough to prepare her for the scene that had developed previously. The monstrous alien ship of pure darkness and evil was now scarred and ingrained in her head, as well as the brave fight the men and women had put until the policemen and fire fighters arrived, something being able to force the retreat of the nearing darkness, although she was sure they would come back, armed and ready, their strength tenfold.

Shivering once more, she tried to pull in as much warmth possible by tightening her scarf, hoping it would cool her nerves, ironically enough. Once she calmed down enough, she decided she had done enough stalling and made her way as close as possible to the Jane and Darcy without drawing unnecessary attention, not that anyone would have noticed her once the saw Thor's spectacular landing at that exact moment. Smiling at the typical Thor entrance, all boisterous and loud, it was apparent her prank didn't teach him a thing, she paused in between the gathering masses, close enough to watch and hear, but far away enough to remain unheard and unseen.

"Oh my God!" a shocked Jane almost squeaked at the unexpected sight before a sudden anger took over her tone, "What are you doing here?!" she nearly spat at Thor.

Turning to look at his beloved, Thor walked up to her, "I gave you my word, that I would return..." He moves closer to her and grabs her waist.

Surprised and awed Jane stares before shaking her head, "A little too late, don't you think?

Seeing the anger in her eyes, Thor decides it is best to get on the move first and explain things later, "I am sorry, but we must leave now... We must go to Asgard."

Enraged and once more shocked, Jane answers, "Wait, what?"

Unseen by the pair and the crowd, Alexandria moves nearer to them, trying to be as stealthily as possible as she watches them, silently pleased at Jane's reaction, after all Thor did take too long, over three years now. Forgetting such thoughts, however, she moves near one of the turned trucks, waiting for the right time. As she observes Thor raise Mjolnir and watches as a light begins to embrace them, she jumps into action. Running, she barely manages to reach them as the blue light finishes engulfing them completely.

* * *

As the flash of light recedes, the three travelers are fall apart, Jane and Thor stumbling a bit as Thor tries and manages to keep the both of them standing, Alexandria isn't as fortunate. Rather regaining her balance, she falls on her back, hands drawn behind her in an attempt to soften the collision. Once she hits the grown, she winces. _If this is what Portkeying feels like, it is certainly horrible,_ she thinks, as pain courses and her stomachs whirls in nauseousness. Trying to keep herself together, she suddenly recalls her 'apparating' with Loki and how much better it was, although in that case, he did everything possible to keep her on her two feet, but either case, she know believes she is most certainly an apparating kind of gal.

"Alex?" Jane's surprised voice puts a successful end to Alexandria nonsensical thoughts.

Looking up at the older woman, she smiles sheepishly, "Oh, hello there, dear Janie, think you can lend me a hand?"

Crouching slightly, a shocked Jane offers a hand to Alexandria, who graciously takes it and leaning against the other one, manages to pull herself up, wincing all the way up. Once she fully stood, she shook the dirt off of herself and bent to pick up her backpack.

"So, lovebirds, what's up? Anything new?" she asked nonchalantly as they both turned to look at her, their stares penetrating, "What? Do I have something on me? Or wait, it's because I didn't call, right? Sorry, always meant to do it but I never got the chance," she shrugged.

The pair glared at the girl's easy manner, but were unable to do anything about it when Alexandria turned to look at the city in front of her and gasped at it's beauty, "So much grander than in my dreams," she whispered in awe, causing Jane to look at her surroundings as well, "Woah..."

Looking at the awe in their faces, Thor forgot the earlier altercation and said proudly, "Welcome to Asgard!"

At that exact moment Mjolnir glowed and transformed into it's pendant form before flying to Alexandria's hand. Clutching it tightly, she smiled down on it before putting the necklace on, the Mjolnir pendant bouncing slightly against her neck before glowing once more and somehow fussing with her crescent moon. For a moment, they all stared at it in equal shock.

* * *

In the Grand Hall, a stoic man sat in his throne, contemplating the upcoming war. Beside said man, sat a woman, regal, elegant, and graceful even in her current position, a figure that demanded respect but gave as much back. Both members of the couple sat in accompanying silence, there thoughts distant as they contemplated the future.

One of the many side doors to the Hall opens, and in comes a scurrying ladies maid who walks up to her Queen, whispering in the regal woman's ear and informing her of the arrival of her son and two ladies. The Queen immediately follows the maid out through the side door. The King, with his still wandering mind, remains undisturbed.

* * *

"My boy, you are back," Frigga walks excitedly towards her son, embracing him warmly.

"Mother," Thor answers just as excited, hugging her tightly.

Jane and Alexandria exchange a glance, they are both impressed by the regal woman and no dreams could really prepare Alexandria for this. Frigga soon ends the hug and turns to her guests, seizing both younger women up. She immediately recognizes mankind's defender and saves a special soft smile for the girl.

"So, my dear son, who are these lovely ladies?"

Realizing his mistake Thor immediately introduces them, "This Jane Foster and that is Alexandria Darcy."

Smiling at the women Frigga says, "Ah, the Midgardian women that wormed there way into the heart of both my beloved sons, who would have thought? Specially so, with one being a scientist and the other one being the sworn defender of mankind..." she trailed ominously.

Recovering first from the shock, Alexandria bows and answers, "Lady Frigga, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Following her lead Jane bows and pronounces, "It is an honor to meet you, your majesty."

Looking at both women, she nods in response before noticing Alexandria's necklace and calling out to the entity it harbors, "Mjolnir."

The pendant glows and a ray of light appears, within it comes Rai, still dressed in Asgardian clothing, this time, however, in shades of blue and golden rather than the traditional purple or red.

"You called, your majesty?" Rai bows.

Quickly recovering, Frigga nods and says, "Do you not have business elsewhere?"

Rai stares at her confused before realization dawns and he answers, "Yes, my Lady, I will go do just that."

Three onlookers watch the whole exchange in confusion before Frigga grabs one of each girls hand into her own and says warmly, "Now, my dear guests, we must go and prepare you something suitable for the visit."

And with that, the three women begin to enter the palace leaving a confused Thor behind.

* * *

The cold dungeons are eerily silent, at least it is so in one of the many holding cells within it. Inside said cell sits a travel looking man, emerald eyes shifting around with worry. He knows that whatever is set to happen will do so soon, and as such that means that his Dria is soon to be in mortal danger in a planet completely unknown to her, something that only worries him more. The silence within the cell is then cut short by a pair of footsteps. Looking up, Loki stands at the sight of Rai before him, but never speaks, conveying the question with his troubled eyes.

Nodding, Rai confirms it, "She is here, sir."

And the world crumbles once more.

* * *

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	4. Plans Set in Motion

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly enough...**

* * *

Pacing inside the cell, Loki impatiently waited as he moved to and fro, his robe billowing behind him. Rai had already assured him of a most important fact, a detail that would aid him, Loki, in his task. Thor, his _beloved brother,_ needed his help. And so now he sat, waiting impatiently until the time the _mighty_ God of Thunder decided to make an appearance.

Just then, a sudden commotion put an immediate stop to his tapping and thinking, and straining his ears, Loki tried his best to hear something amongst the cacophony that would give away Thor's arrival. A booming voice confirmed all suspicions and straightening, yet trying his best to remain as nonchalant as possible, Loki waited. The nearing footsteps soon drew words from his lips.

"After all this time… now you come visit me brother… Why? To mock?" He says, almost hissing the words, his tone, however, maintains it refine quality to it as he struggles to keep the biting bitterness down.

Loki strides towards Thor and leans forward, seemingly studying the blonde god.

"No, that's not it," he whispers mockingly and pauses, "But, ah, I see now, it appears you require my help… You must be truly desperate to come to me for help," he finishes, smirking at Thor's bespectacled face.

Loki paces a bit in his cell, all the while looking at the pondering Thor, before growing impatient, "You should never trust old palaces, _brother_, word has a way of… _spreading_ around them."

Looking at the brunette, Thor's face hardens as he decides it best to move on to the subject at hand, "It is true, I need your help… I wish I could trust you."

Loki turns to look at him before answering with a sardonic smirk, "Then you'd be the fool I always took you for," he then turned his back to his brother.

Nodding, Thor make to move towards the cell's entrance, when suddenly Loki stopped him.

"I have not agreed to help you, _brother_," Loki pronounced as he sent a blast around the room, causing the furniture to fly around the room. He was feeling ill at ease, speaking with Thor after so long and the worry and impatience he felt were not aiding him at all, neither was his brother's presumption.

Observing the 'tantrum', Thor suddenly sensed as if something was wrong, as if something was hurting the man he had always known as a brother. Deciding it was best to do something, he motioned towards the guards, he wishes to do something else, something more subtle, but he only knows the powers of brute force, unlike Loki's silver tongue.

Following the god's orders, the guards take Loki away, they'll have a 'small talk' with the god.

* * *

Frigga felt elated, there was no other way of describing the feelings soaring through her. She knew, deep inside of her, that both these girls, these women, would the cause of a much needed change. She felt that the defender of mankind, especially, would be able to make a change, after all she was outspoken in a righteous way, much as she had been a long time ago. But along the younger woman, who had gone through many challenges in her short life only to come out even stronger, she had lacked that strength, she had been young and naive and wedded so young. As a certain unease grew within her as she recalled, she shook herself out of her contemplation and watched as both women were giving fitting clothes in shades of blue and purple, only for Alexandria to complain that she wanted golden and green.

* * *

Finding himself once more in his cell, Loki tried his hardest not to shift uncomfortably... the beating had been a particularly harsh one. As he sat, dressed in a more Bohemian styled, green Asgardian outfit, the one he was used to know, as it was more fitting for his current location, Loki sat on his cell floor, back against the wall as he impatiently tapped the wand against the cold floor, creating quite the rhythmic pattern. He was waiting for his brother to finish the his hypocritical string of apologies and get to the point.

"If you succeed in helping us, brother," he said, deliberately using the name, "I will ensure your permanent release, that is, if you follow through with your end of the possible deal."

Turning to look at Thor, who had finally said something of sense, Loki raised an eyebrow and said in a deliberate manner, "Tempting…" before pensively pausing, "oh, very well, I will aid… but you must follow some of my own rules…"

Nodding, Thor motioned at the guards, "You should know that should you betray me, I'll kill you."

"When do we start?"

* * *

Contemplating his image in the looking glass, Loki sighed. He was finally out of that disgusting holding cell, however, he knew that what was to come wouldn't be pleasing. As he took on last glance, he turned to look at Rai.

"I hope it all turns out right in the end, sir," Rai says, arranging a part of the armour near the shoulder, before taking a step back and bidding him to follow.

* * *

"Ah, the prisoner has been freed," Fandral called out, followed by the Sif, Volstagg, and Hogun.

Bidding himself to remain cool and collected, he really couldn't ruin it just yet, Loki nodded in their direction before turning to walk the way he had come from. He suddenly stopped, however, by Volstagg's hand to his chest.

"If you ever think about betraying him..." the large and gruff man pronounces, just before letting go as a knife goes to Loki's throat.

"I'll kill you," Sif finishes.

Loki only smiles and chuckles, after all, he will never let them see his fear. The doors of the hall open, causing Sif to, thankfully, remove the knife from his throat, as Thor and his beloved step in. Catching sight of him, and enraged Jane strides purposefully forward and reaching the Frost Giant, she slaps him with all the force that she can amount.

"That was for New York," she furiously spats.

Turning to look at her, Loki gives out a deadly smile, _T__he mortal really doesn't know who she is messing with, after all_, before saying, "I like her."

For a moment, all remains quiet, until Alexandria, who had so far remained a quiet observer, using the tumultuous mass of men to hide her, decided it was time to act.

"Hum, I might just be getting jealous... I never got such bold appreciation after all."

Eyes widening just slightly, Loki looks at her as a grin grows on his face.

"But then again, I am not thoroughly happy with your actions, Janie," Alexandria said, turning to the woman and watching as she shock her smarting hand, "ah, yes, you really shouldn't try to confront a demi-god, believe me dear, I know..." she then pauses once more, taking in the surprised faces of Sif and the Warriors Three, "Oh, allow me to introduce my self, Alexandria Darcy, self-appointed defender of mankind," seeing the sneer in Sif's face she continued, "Of course, if you don't agree, you are more than welcome to take it up with Mjolnir," and then, turning her tone saccharine, she turns to Jane first, "Allow me to say this, my dearest Jane, you mess with my man again and I'll mess with yours and I am sure we both know who will win," broadening her smile, she turns to the others, "the same goes for the rest of you..." she finishes pointing Mjolnir in their general direction.

Once she observes them nod in surprise, she makes a shooing motion, "All of you, go now, there's something mommy and daddy most discuss and prying young ears can't hear it..."

Suddenly indignant, they all try to keep their ground, Thor not even managing to dissuade them, until suddenly Rai decides to make an appearance, causing them all to leave immediately, egos hurt. As they leave the room, Alexandria turns to a proud and grinning Loki.

"Oh, don't look so full of yourself, young man, you have a lot to answer too, like for example could you begin to explain this about you watching over me 24/7 and don't you dare deny it unless you wish to call your mother a liar..."

Swallowing hard, Loki mentally groaned and sarcastically thanked his mother for making him end in this situation.

* * *

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	5. Royal Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly** **enough...**

**Thanks to all of my readers, followers, and reviewers... you guys make writing this a thousand times better...**

**Btw guys, I start my Senior year tomorrow, so I won't be able to update as often as I've done so far... Sorry, but I do promise to try my best to keep the pace up...**

* * *

Mentally groaning some more, Loki observed Alexandria as she kept going on with her rant, stating every now and then how she was a grown women with no need of protection, be that of gods, entities, or mortals posing as superheroes. Trying to bid his time, he started devising someone of cutting her tirade short. Suddenly getting an idea, the mischievous god grinned wickedly and leaned forward, planting a kiss on her warm lips. Surprised, Alexandria froze, her whole body shell-shocked until she became suddenly aware of an urgent need to kiss him back, and parting her lips just so, she allowed his tongue entrance.

After a small battle within their mouths, she became aware of the mistake such passion was, they hadn't really fixed things and really, it's not like they could just pick up from where they left, so with much willpower she cut the make out session short. Taken aback by the feeling of Alexandria's hands pushing him off, Loki looked at the glaring girl, before deciding to explain, presuming that the reason for her attitude was his rude interruption.

"You were allowed your rant, dear, so I believe I am allowed my explaining."

Raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, she waited for him to continue.

"You see, whether or not you are capable of taking care of yourself has never been questioned, we've all been at the wrong end of your temper and as such we know better than to question that," her glare increased then, obviously telling him that the statement wasn't aiding him at all, "but we... we care," he said trying his best to remain as aloof as possible, "and because we care, well we go and try to do everything possible keep you safe."

Looking at him, her eyes softened as she sensed not only the truth in his words, but also just how difficult it had been for him to admit it. Sighing then, she turned to look at her necklace, and saw the combined necklace hanging there, shinning bright, making her wonder when and how Rai had transformed without her becoming aware of it, but with the tirade she had put on, it wasn't surprising. Staring at the crescent moon she suddenly blurted.

"The moon pendant, you... you sent it to me..." she whispered, the realization of how much he had done to keep her safe finally dawning, and now that the anger was quelled, it was met by simple appreciation.

Looking at the combined pendant in her hand, Loki frowned, "I did, but... how did that happen?"

Grabbing the pendant, he observed as it glowed brightly in his hand. He know had a whole list of questions just for Mjolnir, the entity really liked to take everyone by surprise, excepts for perhaps his mother... _Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to figure this out with out need of speaking with the conniving hammer. _But before he was able to do anything, the doors opened and in came a servant.

"Sir and Miss must go to the Throne Hall," the servant said, bowing just enough so that he wasn't taken as disrespectful and fitting all along to keep himself from being insolent towards the dethroned prince.

* * *

"Father, must you truly do this? Our guests haven't even been allowed to explore the palace."

Looking at his son, Odin replies, "It must be done, Thor. One cannot embark himself in a war with unknown allies."

The Hall falls silent after Odin's booming voice pronounces the words. Suddenly, Thor believes it best to literary step back and walks down the steps, quietly observing both his parents as he moves towards Jane who stands in the center of the room beside Alexandria and Loki, who, of course, hasn't been given complete reign and also in need of Odin's judgement.

"Now, I must be introduced to the mortals," Odin speaks, before turning towards Thor and softly glaring with his good eye at Jane's and Thor's intertwined hands, "Introduce me to your... friends."

Thor bows slightly, "Father, this is Jane Foster, she is a scientist and she aided me when I was banished to Midgard..." Jane curtsies as she is introduced, trying to keep any biting comments to herself, "and beside her..."

Stepping forward, Alexandria cuts him of, "I believe I am able to introduce myself well enough," she says turning to Thor, her look a mix between irritation and compassion, "I, All-Father, am Alexandria Darcy, the sworn defender of mankind and Mjolnir's protegee, as well as his true wielder," she finishes, curtsying just the tiniest bit, she respects her position as a leader, but the choices he made will being one.

Odin practically jumps up from his seat when he sees her actions, _the nerve of the girl_, "How dare you treat me so, mortal child?! I am your elder, I outrank, and, unlike you, I am immortal and powerful yet you treat me with no semblance of the respect I deserve!"

Alexandria moves to step forward once more, only to stopped by Loki's gentle, yet surprisingly ice cold, grip on her wrist. She would still speak her mind, yet she kept close to him, and trying her best to sound as wise and honest as she was often told to be, especially when defending a point, she began her litany.

"My conduct, sir, is according to the character of the person with whom I speak, and so far, your character seems deeply flawed at best! You are a hypocrite, you make your sons pay for their mistakes, but are unwilling to admit your own, much less confront the consequences that come in hand with said mistake! You think yourself brilliant, yet all you have ever done is raise two powerful men so that they will eventually be enemies, never did you try to fix the things in which you erred, and their mistakes, sir, are your burdens as well. No son must be blamed for the sins of the father, but the father can be blamed for the sins of the son, after all, who else would have guided the son amiss. In conclusion, sir, you are unworthy of not only judging me and the rest, but also of my respect because, allow me to assure you, my respect is earned, sir, it is not freely granted."

Aghast, Odin tried to keep himself afoot as the girl's words surrounded him, the truth within them echoing the room. He had known he had often erred, but to be confronted in such a forward manner, well the last time that had happened was when Loki had discovered the truth behind who he was and even then most things were the biased assumptions of a wounded man. Yet here stood a Midgardian, no more than a mortal child who had decided to put a stop, once and for all, to his charade. Suddenly feeling wary, he fell heavily onto his throne, blissfully ignorant of what the rest were doing meanwhile.

"Dria, I think you finally managed it, you actually got into the man's thick skull, not even mother has been able to do so," Loki said, whispering in her ear as he held her, arms around her waist. He was grinning like an idiot, feeling both proud and elated, as well as lighter.

Alexandria simply nodded in response as she looked at the King and Queen, quietly watching the playing scene, with the King finally sitting back in his throne and Frigga walking towards them.

"Alexa, dear, I must thank you, you finally managed to make him see. He didn't really realize just how much hurt his misguided decisions caused us all," Frigga said, grabbing the girl's hand.

"Lady, I must say... I... I don't even know how I did that. I truly don't think I have ever spoken thus, ever before," Alexandria said, her gaze looking glazed as she almost shook from the shock of her own impertinence which had reached a whole new level and the fact that her body was already overtaxed from all of the recent events, was not aiding her either.

"Ah, but my dear girl, if I recall correctly from what I have been told and witnessed, your courage seems to rise to measure of what you must confront, always allowing you to come out victorious in the end," Frigga smiled softly, before noticing just how truly shaken the younger woman was.

Turning to face the rest, she regally pronounced, "Now, I believe it is best if our guests are escorted to their rooms to rest and as for the rest, you must all leave for at the time our King is indisposed."

At her words, all of the servants moved out of the room and unto their other many jobs as each brother moved to escort their respective beloved. Silently observing, she noticed the easiness between her eldest and Jane which was a deep contrast between the reticent behaving Alexandria and her solicitous youngest son, causing a frown to appear in her noble brow.

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	6. Settling in Without Settling the Heart?

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers, Thor, or Loki, I only owe Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family, and my plot line...**

**AN: BTW, SORRY I TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE BUT SCHOOL´S ALREADY KILLING ME AND MY LAPTOP GOT RUINED SO EVERYTHING I HAD WRITTEN NEEDS TO BE REDONE... **

**Also, next up, some Avengers action as well as more adventure for own heroine and... let's call him 'hero' although I don't believe Loki would be pleased to be called that... ;)**

**Anyway, ENJOY!**

* * *

Pacing around the Master Bedroom, Frigga couldn't stop herself from worrying. She had observed her sons, and their petite amies, for the rest of the adventurous day. After a full fall out between them, Thor and Jane managed to patch things up, it seemed not even three years apart could deter the couple, something that eased Frigga's worries concerning them. On the other hand, however, was the younger couple formed by her beloved Loki and his brave Alexandria.

The pair seemed to be struggling to settle down any and every issue between them and just move on, although, they did have the suffer the blow of not only Loki's misguided actions, but also Alexandria's ill-advised responses to them. Both had allowed their feelings to reign over their sense, controlling their decisions, something that in Alexandria's case, at least in Frigga's humble opinion, was best because it allowed her to see the true Loki, and within him, the young man's salvation and hope for redemption.

In the end, however, none of these facts aided in easing Frigga's struggling heart. She truly could not help, but to hope that somehow things between them would be fixed, allowing her beloved son a second chance and as such, maybe even a happy ending after all. Thinking about the joy that this happily ever after would bring to them all, she concluded that if they couldn't fix things about themselves on their own, she would play 'meddlesome mama' if need be, and for it, she would need help. As she searched her mind for the perfect partner in crime, she smiled as the image of a nosy entity came to mind.

* * *

Smelling the air around her, Alexandria sighed contentedly. She had been able to get quite the rest earlier that afternoon and had been able to lay and nap on one of the heavenly beds the Asgardian palace offered. After such respite, she had managed to get her assigned ladies' maid, she truly loathed the idea of having someone serving her like that, especially since she was used to helping around the house back on Earth, although, she couldn't deny it had been convenient at the moment, to guide her to the palace's library, which was honestly enormous.

And so, here she stood, taking in the smell of parchment and tomes that surrounded the air she breathed in, making her feel at home within the odd palace. She had been unable to speak to Rai much and therefore, she was unaware of exactly how to aid the Asgardians in the battle zone, but she was sure of one thing, information was the most valuable thing she could provide. As such, she had arrived here, and at ease and comfortable, she moved through the many halls, hoping to find anything concerning the dark elves and their leader, Malekith, so that, knowing the enemy, the Asgardian gods and warriors could fight, aware of the weaknesses and strengths of their enemies and thus, using said information for their advantage and allowing them to keep the upper hand.

Finding the area concerning the history of the Nine Realms, she was able to find a book relating to the creation and beginning of the realms, in hopes of getting some information. Moving to grab it, she was suddenly startled by a voice behind her.

"You won't find what you are looking for in there, love."

Turning to face her sudden companion, she glared at Loki's figure as he leaned against a row of books, arms crossed, his right leg crossed in front of her left as his boot-clad foot pressed its point on the floor, and a smirk taking over his face.

"You need to go farther back in time to find what you are looking for, in fact, you should look into what went on before Time itself existed," he continued.

Sighing, Alexandria replaced the tome into the shelf, trying to keep herself at ease. The situation she now found herself in was making her ill at ease for many reasons. She was angry at herself for startling so easy, but ever since the events that happened over a year ago her nerves were grated and, although she was paranoid enough to usually be on her guard, whenever she managed to be at ease, she would let it down, causing her to startle easily, much to her annoyance since it never happened before said events.

Yet another reason, was that, she was, in all honestly, not sure what to do concerning Loki. In fact, she had been hoping to avoid the man. Not because she didn't love him, no, in fact, it was because she loved him too much. She had never been a really serious relationship, and honestly, she wanted one with Loki, even if she didn't have any prior experience with them, and well, the fact that she didn't even know where they stood was making it all that more nerve-wracking on the young woman.

Deciding it was best to ignore her inner struggles and put them away for an even more profound analyzition later, she moved through the hall, asking Loki some questions as she went through the book and tomes.

"Very well, if I need to search such things… How am I to do so?" she said, as she read one of the book spines, frowning in morbid interest at the title in the bind and taking out the book for investigation, "I mean," she said as she opened the book, flipping through its pages, "how do you search for something that happened before Time itself existed?"

Observing her, he paused a bit as he thought about an answer. He could easily tell her that he knew all that there was to know concerning them, but then, even if he did love her, it would take the fun out of it, after all, he was impish by nature and liked to make things harder for others. There was also the fact that he knew, from so much quiet observation, that, whenever Alexandria was able to solve the puzzle or riddle in front of her, she felt a sense of self-satisfaction much like his own on such situations.

Knowing this, after all, they were keen spirits in this aspect, he decided to offer her just enough so that her clever mind could work it out on its own. He was sure that of all them, she would be, if not the only one, the first one to put it together, something he honestly looked forward to. Mostly so, because he liked playing mind games, of course, nothing to do with her, really… Shaking his head, he moved to answer; after all, he really needed to focus on saving her rather than on being with her, no matter how much his heart and, recently, his mind ached for such.

"Knowledge is not only found within the pages of a book, sometimes the wise men know more than any writing words will ever tell…" he answered, being purposefully ambiguous.

Sighing, Alexandria nodded. She could tell he was hiding something, his riddled words gave that away, but knowing she wouldn't get a more complete answer if she pushed and hoping in hope of getting a more complete answer from Rai later, she changed the subject.

"Is this true?" she asked, motioning the book towards him, her right index finger server as a bookmark.

Raising an eyebrow, he shifted and leant forward. Opening the book, she passed it over to him. Skimming through the page after reading the book's title, he shook his head.

"These are Midgardian legends," he answered, then grimaced on as he read a particular passage, "My magic is powerful and varied and I do love creating mischief, but I have never done any of this more cynical things that are often mentioned in your kind's books. In fact, I find them belittling and insulting."

Nodding with relief, she answered, "Yeah, the bestiality and promiscuity mentioned on these legends has never been of my liking," she said, shuddering slightly at the mere reminder of some of the legends she had read.

Looking at her, he mentally sighed. She was truly innocent in so many ways, to the point that just the thought of him doing such actions as the deceitful tome portrayed. He also first slightly hurt by her doubt towards him.

"Anyway, I already thought it was all lies," she said, moving towards the next hallway and causing him to follow her, "I mean, I know Rai has a soft spot for the Asgardian princes, especially you, even if he would deny till his very last breath, but I really never thought it possible that you had a hand in his creation."

Surprised at her words, he stored them for later analyzing and scowled a bit as he remembered something.

"Yes, well, had I had a hand in his creation, I would have known more about the nefarious entity, like the fact that my brother never knew of him until 'The Incident'," he said, using her preferred name to describe the events that had happened over three years ago, the ones that had somehow set everything in motion for them.

Taken aback herself, Alexandria frowned. She hadn't been aware of Rai keeping his identity secret to all, especially the god who had been his yielder at the time.

"Hum, that I did not know… I guess there is more I need to discuss with Rai then I thought," she said, pausing pensively.

Both stood in silence for a moment before a sudden ruckus interrupted their very thoughts. Turning to look at the cause of the cacophony, Loki sneered.

"Well, if it isn't the Golden Boy and his fan club?"

Looking at him, a sudden image of an angered Snape sneering at Harry came to mind, causing Alexandria to choke back a startled chortle. Turning to her, Loki's features softened a bit, before he winked at her and turned his face stone cold once more.

"Loki, there you are. We have been looking for you everywhere," Thor said, beaming.

Loki raised an eyebrow and answered, "Really now? Because I have been here all afternoon and you all know this is my place of preference."

Thor shuffled uncomfortably for a bit, he had been distracted fixing things and later making out with Jane and as such he hadn't really joined the others in his search before. Deciding to tease his brother to ease his own discomfort, "Yes, I am sure that if you had been allowed, you would have never left the room, probably wouldn't have been to any of the fighting lessons as well."

Loki simply rolled his eyes, "Yes well you developed your other muscles, as much as I did, while I developed my brain, the muscle you decided to ignore, as well."

Smiling, Alexandria interrupted, "Well, if it is brain versus brawn, I must say I am inclined to favour the former, as it is, I am sure this not what you came to discuss…" she said raising an eyebrow, before surreptitiously winking at Loki, allowing him to know, that even after all that was unresolved and even if it ended up being two against six, he had an ally.

Nodding, Jane decided best to interrupt and said, "It seems we have been given a mission: to search for allies."

Knowing they don't have a choice or say in the manner, both Loki and Alexandria nod and move to follow behind the rest. As they walk, Alexandria leans towards Loki and asks him, "You read the books, then?"

Smirking he answers, "Of course I did, although I still can't decide which ones exactly form the Golden Trio," he says, nodding towards the six walking before him, causing her to chuckle a bit, before he decides to continue, "I do know, however, that you are a hot-headed Gryffindor who decided to come here and risk her life because an entity in a dream told her so."

Looking at him, she glared, pouted, and scowled in consecutive order, before answering, "I can be as sly as snake when I need to, though, and anyway, you do remind of a Slytherin boy I once knew about…" she paused, before deciding it was worth the risk, "and I am more than fine with being the Gryffindor girl he falls in love with."

As she says the words, she feels both embarrassed and elated, and as such, unable to control her feelings, she strides forward, trying her best to strike up a worthwhile conversation, and hopefully get some answers while her nerves settle down.

Behind her, Loki stops for a moment, frozen in shock at her confession, only to recover from it and curse the opportunity that has now passed as he watches her talk with the other six.

* * *

Frigga observes from her balcony, quietly watching as the party of eight mounts their boats in preparation for the journey. As she watches her sons, a sudden anguish takes over her and she calls out her most trusted friend.

"Mjolnir."

A sudden blue light glows as Rai appears, bowing to his Queen, "You called, your Majesty?"

Nodding, she moves towards the young man and says, "Please, Mjolnir, I beg of you, accompany them and bring them back to me, safe and sound…"

Looking at the worried woman, Rai bows and concedes. Relieved, Frigga thanks him and is about to dismiss the man when she notices the weariness in her eyes, causing her maternal heart to ache. Suddenly reacting instinctively, she moves her hand towards his face, reaching to caress his cheek and make the young man's worry go away, before suddenly catching herself and settling down for some words.

"And please, come back yourself, I need the help of the most nosy entity known for a mission I wish to accomplish concerning my youngest and your protected."

Nodding, Rai gives a soft yet sad smile, before bowing once more and flashing away. The moment he is gone, Frigga regrets not offering more comfort to the young man.

* * *

_**Please review.**_


	7. In Search of Help on Daunting Realms

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly** **enough...**

**Thanks to all of my readers, followers, and reviewers... you guys make writing this a thousand times better...**

**Sorry for updating so late... Senior year is really taken a toll on me... and so are some other more personal issues...**

**PLEASE ENJOY!**

* * *

Covering his face with his hands, he leaned forward on the desk, elbows placed on top and shoulders sagged, as he allowed himself a much needed break. It had been over three days and nights now, of worrying and pacing, searching and seeking, even calling in some favours, all for naught. They hadn't found a thing; it was almost as if Alexandria Darcy had disappeared completely from the face of the Earth, only her trinket-filled room and her apologetic note, being left behind.

"Come on, Tony, you have to go and get some sleep. You're already an insomniac as it is, but this is just a whole new take on it," Pepper states as she massages his tired and weary shoulders right after placing a cup of warm milk in front of him, "I even made your favourite insomniac drink..."

"Warm milk with cinnamon, yeah, I know..." he snaps a little before sighing, "I'm sorry, it's just I'm so restless and well I can't believe I was drinking the same drink with her a little over week ago and now she's gone to who knows where..."

Burying his face in his hands once more, he leant forward a bit, before suddenly relaxing as Pepper managed to ease one of the tensed nodes in his back. Looking up in relief, he directed his attention to the couple before him. Joseph and Leonora sat there, both trying to ease the other's worries concerning their missing daughter. The General had gone through his list of resources in order to try and find something and Leonora had reached out to all of her own contacts with the same hopeful thought. In the end, their result had been the same as Tony's: the girl couldn't be found. Trying to ease his own mind, especially as he observed the older couple, he decided to ask about the rest.

"Where are Rogers and Banner? Are they with Sam and TayTay?"

Nodding, Pepper hugged him around the shoulders, her head on the nook of his neck as she answered, "Yeah, although, knowing Banner, his already asleep, after all, he already managed to cut his sleeping time by half which is dangerous enough and well, Rogers is probably pacing somewhere... the man really barely sleeps, although he does help me keep an eye over you whenever you go into one of your projects, so I can't be too annoyed with that habit of his, now can I?" she paused, moving to sit beside him as he grabbed the cup, "And as for Samuel and Taylor, I am sure they exhausted themselves to sleep."

Nodding, Tony takes a sip, melancholy sinking in as his body relaxes just the tiniest bit. He hopes he won't get yet another panic attack. A ring, however, distracts his morbid thoughts as he watches Joe, who picks up the phone to answer.

"Yes, this is him," a pause, "Yes, I understand, we'll be there immediately."

Finishing the call, Joe stands and moves to grab the coat from the back of his chair, the others watch him before following, none questioning his actions or their possible destination, Joe, however, offers a hint as they move out of the room.

"It seems my men and S.H.I.E.L.D. have managed to find something."

The door slams behind the four pairs of rushing feet.

* * *

Alexandria watched the sight before her with awe. She was currently enjoying the boat ride of her life and not even sitting beside Jane, with whom she hadn't reconciled yet, or having to awkwardly deal with the fact that Thor and Loki were trying their best to not kill each other while enjoying the sight of their beloved, sitting resplendent in front of them, glowing against the magical background, although neither women was aware of the fact that they were being so intently admired, after all the marvelous ride and view were distracting.

Silently watching, Alexandria leant forward over the sideway edge, her hand extending as she caressed the water's surface. Small waves formed around her fingers and she could see through the crystal clear water that it startle some fish, causing them to go into hiding. She watched, entertained, as a brave little fish made it out of his hiding place and move towards her finger just as the boat reached a stop. Upset with the fact that her childlike delight would be cut short so soon, she turned to Loki, her eyes pleading for more time as she pouted. Looking at him, Loki decided to grant her a small yet sincere smile before offering his hand. Sighing in disappointment, she grabbed hold of his hand and stood up.

"Don't worry, Dria, I promise to show you the wonders of Asgard as soon as possible," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her waist, grabbing unto her protectively.

Smiling at the idea, yet still more than a bit uncomfortable with the closeness, especially after her ignored confession, she attempted a joke, "As long as we get to ride a magical carpet as you sing 'A Whole New World,' I'm okay with it," she lamely said.

Looking at her, he frowned, trying to figure out the meaning behind her words. Taking in the frown, Alexandria suddenly remembered, "Right, Midgardian things you have no idea about... just one of the pros about falling in love with a man from another world," she sarcastically muttered, almost inaudible so, however, Loki heard.

"Well, I think I can understand your slight annoyance, after all, I did fall for a woman of another world, making communication harder than it should be," he whispered in her ear, not allowing the moment to get away from him, not this time, "But I do believe, we are both made to love someone so entirely different than ourselves. I know that, at least concerning me, I wouldn't be satisfied otherwise..."

His heart-felt speech was abruptly cut short by one of the Warrior Three calling out to them, "Well, let's get on moving, lovebirds, we don't have all day!"

Irritated at yet another importune interruption, he had a feeling that at this rate they would never solve their issues, Loki huffed before breaking the embrace and sighing a bit, helping Alexandria out of the boat before doing so himself, pitying himself all the while. His sour mood was suddenly improved, however, when he felt a small, warm hand making its way into his, intertwining its feminine fingers amongst his own.

None of them noticed as Mjolnir glowed frantically.

*.*.*.*.*

Fury looked up from his research littered desk as he heard a discord as two familiar couples made their way through the door and into his office. Quietly observing them, he waited for them to sit, trying his best to keep the worried frown from his face. He, himself, was worried about the girl; especially concerning the way she had been treated by his superiors' orders... apparently to them the girl could be a viable and powerful weapon at some point in the future, as she was a combination of knowledge and entity-gifted powers, causing them to believe that by breaking her spirit, they would have a malleable soul, one that would be impressionable and complaint, a piece of dough for them to mould into the weapon of their liking.

Fury still had a hard time processing said piece of knowledge, but knew it best to ignore it for the moment being; after all, they had information concerning the girl's whereabouts; a place in which he could only hope was safer for her. Therefore, ignoring his own feelings, he turned from the now subsided cacophony to look at his first mate and giving her a sharp nod, he sent Hill on her way.

"After days of extensive research, we have managed to find some information concerning Alexandria Darcy's current location... I know you are anxious to know, but it is my wish for both agent Barton and Romanoff, who have been aiding in the search, to be here so that they may be informed as well and therefore, continue to aid us."

Just as he finished pronouncing said words, the door opened once more, allowing the three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in.

Nodding, he continued, "Very well, now that we are all here, we may proceed. In cordial cooperation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the General's agents, we have managed to find something interesting out..." here he paused to ensure he had everyone's undivided attention. No one even blinked.

"We have found some unusual, rather 'alien' activity lately, amongst which was the sudden awakening of the Tesseract... apparently to be used as a transportation method... It is our believe that Miss Alexandria Darcy in somehow involved in these event and therefore, we believe she is to be found in the companion of our ally, the God of Thunder: Thor."

*.*.*.*.*

Alexandria stared in terrified awe. The sight before was both magnificent and petrifying all at the same time. There, in front of the party of eight, stood an enormous, golden gate, yet unlike any gate she had ever seen, this one was surrounded by burning flames and open fires, causing her to sweat and not only from the heat alone. As the gates suddenly opened, almost automatically, Alexandria took a step back, the back of her right shoulder brushing against Loki's chest, as she moved to retake his hand on her own shaking one. Feeling the abnormal coldness of her hand as well as her shaky demeanour, he squeezed it. Borrowing some of his strength, she lent towards him.

"Loki, where... where are we?" she practically squeaked as she and Loki were forced to follow a frightened Jane, alongside Thor, and Sif, as the Warrior Three took the back.

Moving through a bridge surrounded by flames of fire that roared intensely, Alexandria thought herself in Hel. Moving closer to Loki and squeezing his hand even more so than before, she let out the tiniest of whimpers. Watching the fear in her slightly wide yet clouded eyes, Loki decided to ask her previous question in order to try and ease her.

"We are in Muspelheim, realm of the fire demons..." he whispered as they moved to enter the hellish castle.

"De... demons... you mean to tell me we are in a world of demons, of fallen angels, you are telling me this is the city of demons, the civitatis daemonas… Oh God… Oh God… Oh God…" Alexandria exclaimed, feeling anxiety take over her, not so different from the way one of Tony's emotional breakdowns got the best of him, causing the man to panic, much like she was doing at the moment.

Through her fear and panic, she missed the fact that they had already entered the castle and where now on a sort of Throne Hall. From the throne, a powerful voice called, "Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit? Not only do I have Asgardians in my company, but also Midgardians and a Frost Giant… an interesting party indeed, especially to visit the land of the fallen angels."

* * *

"You wish for us to help you? Very well, that can be done, however we need something in exchange…"

Looking at him, Thor nodded immediately and answered, "Anything you wish for, Surtur, as long as we are able to form an alliance."

Surtur sat back in his throne, looking at the party before him. He couldn't help but find them interesting, especially the Midgardian women who seemed to play brave, both trying their best to hid their fear. He also found the protective manner in which of the Asgardian Prince and the Frost Giant held the Midgardian women as something as great interest, but not really worth his time, just inane curiosity, that is, until he noticed the club-like pendant that glowed an eerie sort of blue. Watching the current wearer of the necklace, he decided on his price.

"I have decided on my reward," Surtur drawled and paused to see Thor nod, "we will aid you in this task in exchange of the youngest Midgardian."

At the demon leader's words, Loki immediately moved protectively in front of Alexandria, who tried her best not to cringe behind him, trying his best to protect her as he transformed into his Frost Giant form, in hopes of increasing his power levels. Seeing Loki's actions, Thor reacted as well, reaching for his sword and wishing he had Mjolnir at his use. Using Thor as their queue the Warrior Three and Sif all moved into fighting stances, as Jane hid behind Thor, scared out of her mind and hopeless without a weapon.

"You can have anything, but never her," Loki growled, before belatedly adding, "There are only two people, that if hurt by an enemy, will be avenged by me and one of them is standing here, so you better back off."

Amused, Surtur decided it was best to attack, after all, being on the side of evil was far more fun and anyway, who cared for the Asgardians and their Midgardian pets when he could join Malekith and the Dark Elves in their new enterprise?

"Have it your way then," he chuckled before turning to his diabolic followers, "It is time for some little fun, my minions."

The demons surrounded them and just as the horrific creatures were about to attack, Mjolnir began to glow, radiating an intense blue light that surrounded the Asgardian party.

* * *

Shaking slightly, Alexandria opened her eyes, only to find herself in a golden room. Looking around, she soon discovered it to be the Throne Hall within the Asgardian Palace. Sighing in relief, she turned her gaze to the party that had accompanied her, and made a mental inventory of everyone and any of their possible wounds as she struggled to stand, only to be aided by a concerned Loki. Ensuring she wasn't the cause of his concern, with her clumsiness she could have easily gotten hurt, she turned to follow his gaze. Beside them sat a tired and weary Rai, being aided by Frigga and even, to everyone's great surprise, Odin. Looking at the wounded and exhausted entity, Alexandria felt her heart constrict as her stomach turned. Grabbing Loki's hand for assurance once more, she hoped everything would be okay.

* * *

_**Please, my dear beloved readers, remember to review :D**_


	8. Internal Conflicts and War Preparations

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly enough...**

**Sorry I took 10ever (like my best friend says) to update**

* * *

Watching the motionless figure on the bed, Alexandria tried her best to remain seated. She had to fight the urge of joining Loki in his pacing as best she could. Two people running themselves edgewise over stress wasn't beneficial in any way, especially given the situation and giving that Loki was already worming a hole on the carpeted floor.

Shifting slightly in the chair, she puts her knees up to her chest as she wraps one arm around her leg. Moving her right hand to her pendant, she starts playing with it in the same she has been doing whenever pensive and/or nervous ever since she came into its possession a few months back. As she twirled said necklace, she felt a certain warmth and ease spread aver her, making her feel safe, just like it always did. She now believed that one of Loki's spell or charms was the cause of it and she couldn't help but be grateful for such a caring gesture.

Turning to watch the warm charm, she looked at the slightly glowing hammer and moon when an idea suddenly struck. Looking in between the shimmering pendant and the still figure on the bed, she started fiddling with the necklace and quickly removed it and drew closer to the bed.

Although he had been intent in his pacing and thinking, he needed to come up with yet another idea, a far more drastic one, to protect Alexandria, something he had been thinking about for days now, but that had become more urgent with recent events, Loki observed Alexandria from the corner of his eye. He had been pleased with her seeking comfort and warmth from the pendant as she played, but such pleasing thoughts were cut short when he watched as she removed it.

Frowning, he observed some more as he saw her near the unconscious entity and watching her move to place the necklace around him, Loki couldn't stop himself from growling and angrily striding towards her. Ignorant to Loki's thoughts and actions, Alexandria was caught by surprise when a hand reached for her wrist, stopping it from further movement.

Grabbing the necklace with his other hand, Loki turned to her, growling once more, "Just what do you think you are doing?! Do you really have no regard for your safety whatsoever?! Are you that foolish?!"

Alexandria jumped at his words, reacting almost as if his words had struck her like lighting, "What are you on about?! I have done nothing wrong!"

Leaning forward, Loki towered over her, "Nothing wrong?! You foolish thing, don't you realize?! Without this necklace then you won't be safe. It is for your protection, not that of a nosy entity!"

"Foolish! Foolish! You dare call me foolish and thoughtless, you hypocrite! You, who decided to do such idiotic things as joining Chitauri even if you knew it would all end on betrayal! They care not for you and yet you sought them out because you had the whim to try and conquer Earth! And yet you call me silly and foolish! How dare you, when it was you who risked your life on a childish desire of proving yourself?" She paused, her index finger placed against Loki's chest in an accusing manner.

Taken aback, Loki found himself leaning against the entity's bed as she continued her rant, "How dare you, Loki? Are you turning back into your selfish self that you can't even see what's right in front of you? Rai is in danger, I will make everything both humanely and inhumanely possible to ensure he comes out of this alright and if giving him my protection necklace is what must be done than I can sure as Hel tell you that it will be!"

Still surprised, Loki couldn't quite understand the rambling of emotions that suddenly coursed through him, but he was able to recognize one, the one he had grown up feeling: jealousy. He was jealous of the stupid, conniving entity that somehow was able to gain _his_ Dria's affections without even trying while every single thing that he, Loki, tried to do for her and her safety always seemed to turn out the wrong way.

Sighing, he turned to look at Alexandria, he noticed a certain glint in her eyes, she was obviously planning on a way to grab hold of the pendant and really it was only seconds later when she jumped on him, trying her best to retrieve the treasured jewellery piece. Falling into the bed with a huff, Loki held his arm back and tried his best to keep her from holding a hold of it. Scrambling on top of Loki, Alexandria tried her best to pry the charm out of his hands, all the while being unsuccessful.

Annoyed, she tried her best to devise a last minute plan. Suddenly a memory came to mind and with it an idea. Looking at Loki under her, she was literary blushing as soon as she realized the intimacy of such a position; she leant forward and pressed her lips against his. Under her, Loki froze in surprise before kissing back, a make out session commencing. For her part, Alexandria fought to keep her wits about her, trying her best not to be distracted by the man's kissing abilities. Moving her hand into his, she slowly pries his fingers away from the pendant and grabbing hold of it she turns to look at the treasure, smiling into the ongoing kiss before cutting the make out session abruptly short.

"Ha! Got it!" she exclaimed, moving from on top of Loki and onto Rai's side.

Looking at her beaming face, Loki huffed in annoyance and disappointment, he really wasn't happy with how much she cared about the entity. He was also annoyed by the fact that she had managed to trick him so easily and yet at the same time secretly proud of her cunning, to the point of using his own deception against him. Sighing once more, however, he moved towards her, crossing his arms in slight annoyance at the recent event.

"You do know that the charm will do nothing to aid him, do you not? I made specifically so that it would be of your use only... offering protection only to you and no one else."

Alexandria stopped her fumbling with the chain's clasp to stare at Loki in shock. The fact that he had taking who knows how much time to create her such a protection, specially such a specific one, had never occurred to her and she honestly thought it endearing. Nevertheless that feeling was second place thanks to the sudden guilt she felt. She really had taking his gift for granted and he probably felt ignored and wronged once more. She had betrayed both herself and him now. Unable to look at him anymore, she turned to look at Rai's figure once more.

"Thank you," she whispered, her bangs covering her shameful eyes as she fumbled with the clasp once more, "You are right, it may not work but... I must try. I believe keeping both Mjolnir and Rai apart is draining them both, they are trying to aid me still instead of gaining their strength back... hopefully this will work."

Frowning, Loki looks at her hands as she places the necklace around Rai's neck, the fussed pendant glowing, "You speak as if they were two different people..." he murmured as he watched the glow spread around the entity's body.

Shrugging, she watched Rai, "They are one and the same, two parts of a whole, two souls fussed together..." she whispered, looking Loki in the eyes as she pronounced the last words.

Unable to bare it anymore, Loki stood up and left the room. Watching him leave, Alexandria covered her face with her hands as tears began to pour from her tired eyes. She had failed him and now her actions and the adventurous day were taking a toll on her.

* * *

Carefully observing the map and strategies, Thor leaned forward, trying to memorize the game plan as he hoped for the best. As he observed a slight weakness in one of the lines, he made a move to correct, only to be interrupted by his companion.

"You mustn't do that, Prince Thor," the omniscient voice said, "It must be left like that, an invitation, if not, you will never get the aid needed and you need the released prisoner's help."

Sighing, Thor looked at his companion and expressed his doubts, "Do you truly think he can follow through, Heimdall?"

Looking at the Tesseract that sat nearby, Heimdall barely kept himself from rolling his eyes and said, "What do I know, sir? Being as I only see all..."

* * *

Ensuring that he was as quiet as possible, Loki turned on the corner. Night had fallen and after the adventurous day, everyone in the palace slept profoundly, giving him the perfect opportunity. His plan was already devised and rehearsed; now all he had to do was to set it in motion. Turning around in the last hall, he recalled the rest of his late afternoon.

After leaving the entity's room, Loki went for a walk on the grounds, allowing his mind to clear and begin his planning. After hours of striding and thinking, he had re-entered the castle and searched for Alexandria. Minutes later he found her on the entity's room, fast asleep on the settee, his mother watching over her as she covered the girl. Observing from the door slightly ajar, he had felt his heart flutter at seeing both of his ladies at ease, making his mission all that more urgent and important.

And so now here he was, moving towards the palace gets, his travelling magic was set under wards, keeping him from transporting himself away and allowing him no other choice than to sneaking out like in the olden days. Trying his best to ensure that no one was there, Loki made to turn into a tree covered path only to be stopped by a sudden figure appearing in front of him.

"Sir, please do not do this," the figure pleaded.

Stunned by not only the sudden appearance but the figure, Loki almost jumped. Trying his best to remain cool, however, he eyed the figure. Observing the bags under the eyes and the defeated shoulders he felt worried. The afternoon walk had cooled him enough to realize how petty he had been.

"Mjolnir, you should be resting, Dria will kill you if she sees you out here," Loki sharply whispered. Even so, he was honestly worried for the entity.

"If she will kill me for this, imagine what she will do when she finds out your plans, sir," Rai said, pleading with Loki.

Not surprised at the fact that the entity knew, he answered, "I must keep them safe, Mjolnir."

Rai nodded energetically, "Yes, you must..." he paused before turning serious, "But this is not the way."

Feeling suddenly confronted, Loki growled, "Well its good thing that no one asked for your opinion or help, isn't it? Or even the fact that this isn't your job and task anymore."

Saying these words, Loki turned and made his way to the shaded path, his cape billowing behind in his annoyance. Watching him, Rai's concerned grew. He had a feeling this could only go one way now and he was sure it wasn't going to end well for the hero.

* * *

_**Please review: I swear, guys, your reviews make my day.**_


	9. Behind Enemy Lines

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers or Loki, only Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Comfortably perched in his Throne, he leaned backward in true ease as he heard the fire demon tell his tale. It seemed that his enemies had gained him an unexpected ally.

"I thought you should be warned, Malekith, after all, it is always good to keep owns enemies close," the demon finished his proclamation.

Leaning back even more, Malekith's dark eyes fell on the demon king, as he carefully promounced, "Yes, and I thank you for this piece of valuable knowledge," he said, shifted slightly before dryly continuing, "I believe you want some sort of compensation for this, of course."

Looking at him, Surtur narrowed his eyes, he was a powerful man, a king himself, but he knew better than to go against the dark king, "It would be appreciated, yes, we were hoping to join you in this quest for universal domination."

"Hum, yes, you wish to be allies, that is to be expected, of course..." Malekith began, a pensive look on his face. He was unable to finish his answer when a sudden uproar interrupted his thoughts.

Sitting up straight, he turned to glare at the nearby guards, "What is the meaning of this? Go and find the one at fault for creating such a disturbance and bring them to me," the guards only looked at him wide eyed, not yet catching up with their wits, "NOW!"

Melakith's booming proclamation had the guards scurrying in fear to the nearest exit. Watching them, Melakith mentally shook his head, if this was the way his dark elves were going to act concerning simple orders, then he might truly need the aid of the demons. His own army seemed to be too used to a life of ease and therefore not as prepared as he wished.

Moving to answer Surtur, Malekith was once more interrupted, this time by the arrival of the creator of the previous commotion, seemingly wishing to keep up his reputation. Turning to look at his visitor, Malekith allowed a cruel smirk to take over his face. Maybe he wouldn't need the demon's help after all, not if he got inside help form the formally imprisoned Frost Giant.

* * *

"He's really worried, isn't he?" A brunette man asked as he entered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lunch room.

Turning to look from Tony, who was perched on the table and finally sleeping, even if he was having a troubled sleep, to the speaker, Steve sighed.

"How can he not, Banner? Plus, I am sure you are just as much," the blonde said, looking at Bruce with weary eyes.

Nodding, Bruce answered, "Well, yes, I did work and live with her for over five months, and even if Alex can make living in an apartment with her seem like a herculean task at times, I do care and worry."

Finishing his reply, Bruce sat on a chair beside Tony's sleeping form, frowning as he imagined the back and neck ache the man would have later on, but not daring to wake him up from the little sleep he got. Joining them, Steve sat sighing, his face in his hands.

"Did General Moore and Mrs. Moore make it home safely?" Steve asked, uncovering his left eye just enough to watch Bruce.

Nodding Bruce answered, "Yes, they are there, I think it's a good thing really, for them to stay with their younger children so that they can cope, especially when they find out what little information we have concerning her current location."

Burrowing his face once more, Steve nodded. Both men sat in quiet and contemplative silent for a few moments before Bruce decided to ask a question.

"Where are the others?"

Removing his hands form his face, Steve folded them on the table and answered, "Fury is somewhere with Hill trying to gather more information. Barton went to take a nap since he hasn't been aiding us and therefore not sleeping and Natasha and Pepper are in the training rooms."

Turning to look at him, Bruce raised an eyebrow in confusion, since when had Rogers taken to calling Romanoff by her first name and what would Pepper, although a brilliant and strong woman, be doing in the training centre?

Looking at the question in Bruce's eyes, Steve took to ignoring the confusion his name choice provided and instead answer the rest, "Pepper felt over... energized and felt it best to relive herself of this pent up energy by training with Natasha."

Bruce nodded, still suspicious at Steve's familiarity with the assassin, yet the tired look on the soldier's face stopped him. Decision made, Bruce stood, hoping to find Fury and maybe be of some help. Eyeing Bruce's retrieving figure, Steve decided to allow himself some rest and moved to follow Tony's example, all the while counting his blessings, thankful that his slip hadn't completely giving him away.

* * *

"Ah, the dethroned prince, to what do I owe the honour of your visit to us, lowly dark elves?" Malekith said, standing from his Throne and moving towards the captured man.

From his bystander view, Surtur couldn't help but feel a resonant sort of anger bubble from deep within. Malekith was granting the traitor the honour of a more personal conversation when his precious information was coldly received. Nevertheless, Surtur did not dare to demonstrate his disappointment, he still hoped for a beneficial alliance.

Forcing himself to stand as straight as possible, Loki looked at the approaching Malekith. Unlike Surtur, Loki felt no pleasure in Malekith's reception toward him, however, he knew better than to make it known, especially since his scheme was already beginning to crumble. He shouldn't have been captured and Surtur's presence could, and most probably would, be detrimental to his plans.

"Malekith, ruler of the dark elves, I have come to you now with a proposal," Loki answered, keeping his voice strong and formal, forcing himself to remain calm and collected with his impassive mask scowling his face.

Malekith leaned forward slightly and giving the God of Mischief an onceover, he motioned for his guards to release the bounds that constrained the man's wrists, "Very well, Son of Laufey, I listening. Speak!" he commanded.

Loki, who had been trying to sooth his wrists, turned to look at the dark ruler, trying his best not to glare when the Malekith called him by that insulting and degrading name, "I come to offer my services to you. I wish to join your campaign."

Malekith, who had been moving back towards his Throne to sit down once more, suddenly stopped and turned to look at Loki, a spiteful chuckle escaping his lips, "Another one? Two in a night? How jovial and lucky of me," he pronounced, a hint of sarcasm could be heard.

Turning to look from Loki to Surtur and back, he continued speaking and walk back towards them, deciding to keep the conversation more private for his gain, "Yes, well, from what I have been informed and offered, you seem to be lacking. You must have a rather large incentive to offer if you wish to even be considered."

Standing even straighter, Loki tried his best to keep his face stone cold, "I can offer not only information but material gain, as well, the sort of treasure you would seek."

Malekith raised an eyebrow, "I must ask what the nature of this material gain is, especially since we already know that the mortal who happens to be Mjolnir's owner and the controller of storm is out of question..."

Malekith looks between Surtur and Loki trying to find anything suspicious in their expressions, the smallest hint of anything that gives them away, noticing none, he simply waits. Loki wills himself to keep thoughts of Dria away so that he may continue.

"There is something found in Asgardian possession, something that is of great interest to you, something I can get. I will need something in exchange, however."

Malekith looks almost amused as he says, "You have not even told me what it is I will get yet you ask for a reward? How bold of you, son of Laufey."

Trying to keep himself from reacting to the name, Loki gives a sharp nod as he answers through his tight jaw, "Yes, well, my end of the bargain depends on yours."

A malevolent chuckle resounds as Malekith answers, "I do not even know what you wish for me to give you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Loki answers almost hissing, "I aid you and in exchange you keep your armies away from Mjolnir's owner and Lady Frigga."

Looking at the uptight god, Malekith's eyes shine with true delight. How naive, really, to show such clear affection and really, to be weak enough to even hold such an emotion, well seeing such a man trying to make him play by their rules was amusing, especially considering how much harm he could cause later on with this information.

"In exchange for what?" the still pleased Malekith asked.

Sensing the lack of soberness from Malekith, Loki stood straighter and pronounced evenly, "The Tesseract."

All signs of amusement left Malekith face as he stared in surprise, before he narrowed his eyes and reached the younger man, "I must say, you know how to bargain. I will require the Tesseract as soon as possible."

Loki nodded and before he was able to answer he was being escorted out by one of the guards. As he started making his way out of the Throne room, Loki started to feel a certain weigh and unease in the pit of his stomach, almost like an ominous sign. Reaching the door, he felt himself beginning to regret his decision as he started to mentally device not only a backup plan, but also a way to ensure Dria's success with some well hinted aid.

It was as he was leaving, distracted by his thoughts, that Malekith called Surtur to him.

"Watch over our newest ally," Malekith pronounced, looking at Surtur.

Feeling elated at the task and hopeful of catching Loki red-handed as he _inevitable _betrayed Malekith, Surtur moved fast, his assistants and guards followed him out as he began his task. Glad that as a fire demon he could use the shadows and flames to his benefit, he made sure to keep an eye on Loki. For his part, Loki remained oblivious, distracted by his thoughts and heavy heart.

* * *

Groaning, Alexandria tried her best to pick herself up from the floor. Her day had started awfully and it had just taking a down turn since then. She had woken up in the settee on Rai's provisional room, every muscle and joint in her body aching, her back screaming in pain, demanding her to take better care of it and ensuring she would try her best never to fall asleep on anything that wasn't a bed. The ache from her terrible sleeping position and injuries of the past day was nothing in comparison to the hollowed pain she felt inside.

She had woken up to find Rai to be even worse than the night before, not that it made any sense to the her, she had been so sure he had to start getting better with the extra care and the pendant around his neck. Finding out that she had been wrong was like a bucket of cold water, making her feel even worse with her actions towards Loki the day before. She had said cruel things, she had used him, and all for naught since Rai was now even worse, something that still did not make any sense since she was sure he hadn't exerted himself anymore. Be as it may, thoughts of both men were plaguing her mind and causing her the most horrible of heartaches.

It had been as she had analyzing this, that her ladies' maid came in. She said that Alexandria had to go to her room and get ready; her presence was required in the breakfast room. Of course, Alexandria had been reluctant at first, she had no wish to leave Rai alone, but the maid insisted and brought with her someone to take care of Rai in her absence. She was then taken to her room where she had taken a refreshing bath and was then changed into yet another Asgardian outfit.

Downing a forest green, long sleeved Bohemian style shirt that reached mid thigh, with a leather belt around her waist and leather bounds around her wrists, as well as navy blue leggings and a pair of dark brown leather boots, she stared at her reflection. She thought she looked quite the warrior with even her hair in a French braid, her fringe being the only hair out of bounds. Now that she was ready according to her maid's standards, she had even insisted in doing her hair, she was escorted to the breakfast hall.

Thankfully arriving relatively early, Alexandria was barely able to make it into the room before Odin and Frigga arrived. Scrambling for a sit, she sat beside Jane, to whom she still hadn't spoken since yesterday, and across the Warriors Three. She was able to barely take in Sif's position at Thor's other side, when the King and Queen made their entrance, the King, like tradition dictated, escorting his wife. Seeing everyone raise, she followed, not at all pleased with the unnecessary traditions, but knowing better than to disrespect them.

As the meal started, she watched everyone, her attention on her companion's rather than her food, she was never really hungry at breakfast anyway. Observing Sif, Jane, and Thor, she couldn't help but wonder how the love triangle would end and wasn't even sure for whom to root. _Which of the two was the lesser evil, at least concerning Loki?_

The thought of Loki made her wander about his lack of presence during the meal, but she decided it was best to wait, maybe he was late? And so she found herself observing Odin and Frigga. As she watched, she recalled their entrance and she couldn't help but wonder if Loki had ever escorted his mother anywhere, especially after he became King. For some reason she knew the immediate answer was yes, and that he had probably done it even before that, because all in all, when it came down to it, Loki and Frigga just had that special kind of bond.

Finding that her thoughts once again concerned Loki, Alexandria decided to the risk and asked aloud only to be sourly disappointed since apparently Loki refused to join the breakfast table. She was not even allowed to wallow on this thought when Thor informed her that she was going to begin her training with him, taking her by surprise.

And yet here she was, scrambling to stand up without causing herself any further injuries, from what Thor believed to be a start up lesson. And really, even if she had never been one for sports, Thor just didn't seem to realize her own limitations.

"Up," Thor exclaimed, reaching, "Come on, Lex, up!"

Frowning, she looked at him before taking his offered hand.

"Do we really have to do this? I mean I know Rai promised to train me, but not like this. Plus there is so little time less, this is pointless."

Shaking his head, he answered, "No it is not, Jane herself is training with Sif."

Eyes wide, she spluttered, "Are you crazy?! She'll kill her! Why not train her yourself?"

Thor chuckled but answered, "Relax, Hogun is with them. Plus I can't train her, you know, conflict of interest and all?"

Raising her eyebrow she answered, "Don't you have conflict of interest with me as well or are you still mad about the prank?"

"I still don't appreciate the prank, but no, if Mjolnir will train you, then as his former wielder I will train you."

"No, you don't have too," she whined, before sobering and saying, "plus the prank was poetic justice and an apparently failed attempt to show you how Loki suffered."

"Yes, well it doesn't matter now. Stand in position so that we can start once more."

"Again?" she mumbled before sighing and readying herself. She had a feeling this was going to be a long and achy day.

* * *

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	10. Of Conniving Entities & Meddlesome Mamas

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, nor Loki... sadly** **enough...**

**PLEASE ENJOY AND SORRY I TOOK FOREVER!**

* * *

Grabbing onto the edge of the wall, Alexandria looked around, making sure that the coast was clear. Once she did, she started tiptoeing, making her way to the library in a slow and quiet manner. It had been two days now, two days since her training with Thor started, two days since Rai had had a miraculous turn for the better and had commenced his own training with her, two days since she had last seen Loki, much to her frustration. And now, here she stood, sneaking around, trying her best to avoid Thor and his abusive training. Not even the extra fast healing she had been granted by Mjolnir, all those years ago, was enough to get her rid of not only plenty bruises and scratches, but also a certain ache that coursed through her body.

_Whoever said "No pain, no gain," never had an Asgardian, exercise-driven god for a trainer. _

Rolling her shoulders back, she winced slightly as she moved down the next hallway, all the while making sure there was no one there. Although the last few days hadn't been completely pleasant, what with Thor's abuse, even though she was never one for sports, Thor sometimes forgot she was only human, and the lack of Loki-sighting, she had to admit that even the worst of storms had a rainbow promising hope. Her rainbow was not only Rai's successful recovery, but also the training the entity provided (she was now learning to use things as conductors to her powers, which was pretty awesome in her opinion), as well as the extra time to think, time that had allowed her to analyze herself and her actions.

During this internal analysis, she had been able to discover many a thing about herself, like per say, the reason behind her sudden and overwhelming fear of just about anything. Being able to think back to her adventure over a year back, she was able to see something she had somehow missed before. She had never given herself the time to cope.

It was this thought that kept going through her head, turning and turning, making her see the truth behind it all. A human could only take so much and then some, but she had exceeded her limit without even realizing it, much like Tony had done. She was thankful, however, that she had yet to fall victim of a panic attack and could only hope that now that she had come to terms that it would never come to that.

At the moment, though, she was more worried about Loki's sudden avoidance. She was truly worried that she had actually said something wrong, that she had somehow broken whatever they had beyond repair, and it is with those thoughts that she entered the library and leaned against the doors, closing her eyes and sighing in relief, she didn't even bother to check, knowing Thor would most certainly not be found inside.

"Hum, it appears that we are destined to always meet like this, with you hiding away in my sanctuary."

Hearing the familiar voice, a voice she hadn't heard in days. Looking at the mischievous smirk, and the surprisingly dull eyes, she sighed in relief before worry and anger over took her emotions making her glare.

"Stalker much?"

* * *

Looking at the screen in front, she tried yet another code, hoping this one would be it. As the screen suddenly beeped and a green light came on, signifying the now permitted access, she rejoiced. Searching through all the contained records, she was able to find some information. Brightening she decided it was best to call the agent on duty.

"Agent Hill, I found something."

Turning to look at the young agent in front of her, a mere teenage girl with too much free time that had driven her to becoming a hacker and therefore a person of interest for S.H.I.E.L.D. Nodding at the beaming girl, Hill moved out and around her desk and followed her. They soon reached the girl's station. Looking at the words in the screen, Hill allowed herself a sigh of relief. They had found another clue, a location, or at least, what they believed to be the Alexandria's location, if the last minute airplane tickets were something to go by.

Staring at the screen, Hill said, "Call Director Fury and advise him to call the Avengers and the Moores," pausing, she turned to look at the girl, "You may have just figured it out."

Surprised and pleased with herself, the young hacker nodded before making her way out and in search of Fury.

* * *

Sitting on her room, Frigga contemplated many things, the upcoming war and how this would affect her family being the height of her thoughts. As she began to go through the possible unpleasant case-scenarios a knock interrupted her.

"Come in."

A young man entered and bow before stating, "They are both in the library now, my Lady."

"Are they really?" Frigga answered, standing up from her settee, always as poised as usual. At the young man's nod, she continued, dismissing him, "You have done well, Mjolnir."

Bowing once more, he left the Queen to her thoughts. Moving towards the door, Frigga couldn't help but feel pleased with herself, this was one thing she could fix. Contemplating this happier thoughts, she left the room to go and set her plans in motion.

* * *

Sighing, Alexandria pushed herself from the wall and moved to her usual table, one that was already littered with the books she had been reading during her insomnia episodes during the last two nights. It was an attempt to distract herself from over thinking things, like this Loki situation, she had at least come to terms with her new ease to scare, and to try and feel/be useful. The previous night, she had found a book concerning the Tesseract and was hoping to continue it, so she sat down, Loki following.

"So, who are you hiding from now?" Loki said, sitting in the chair in front of her and rocking it.

Alexandria didn't answer; she read and took notes instead. Noticing her lack of attention, Loki frowned. The truth was he had, in fact, been avoiding her as he tried to analyze his current dilemma, yet another one of his own making. He had so much to do and so little time, starting off with his priorities, he needed to ensure that both his mother and Dria would make it out of this no matter what, and even if he had Malekith's word, he knew better than to truly trust the elf. He had been a desperate man in desperate need and in a moment of weakness and crazed rational, he had willingly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the lives of the two women he loved.

And as if that wasn't enough, he had an end of a deal to hold. He must, somehow, get to Tesseract and give it to the dark elves, if not, well, he preferred not to think about the 'if not...' And with all of it came this situation with Alexandria. In all truth, he did not know what to do, looking back at his current actions, he felt even more unworthy of someone like her and even she had her own faults, in comparison to his own, they looked like virtues, after all, her headstrong ways and stubbornness had often helped in saving others, even if at her own risk.

It was the sudden resurfacing of this feeling of unsuitableness, one that he had known after years of believing he was Odin's son and after growing in Thor's shadow, that had him taking a step back, at least concerning any romantic feelings or ideas he may or may not have concerning a certain Midgardian who possessed the powers of Thor.

The sound of a scrapping chair drew him out of his reverie, "Really, now, you are just going to leave and give the..." he paused, trying to remember the Midgardian term, "...silence treatment."

Pausing midstride, Alexandria turned to face him, the book in her hand shaking slightly as the anger and worry she had been feeling resurfaced all at once, creating this monumental wave that finally hit a-shore, "That's real rich, Loki! You have been ignoring me for the past two days. Why are you such a hypocrite?"

Feeling ashamed, but also slightly irritated, Loki strode towards her, stopping right in front of her before using his beneficial height to tower over her, "Yes, let's talk about hypocrites. What about you, _honey_? It's not like you were all that pleased to see me a few days ago."

As the guilt rose from within her, Alexandria fought to keep her anger about her, they really had to talk this through, it was long do, "Yes, well, I am sorry I wasn't jumping up and down at the idea of seeing the man I love when I have no idea where we stand in this... in this _whatever_ that we have," she pronounces huffing.

Her words cause Loki to freeze and sighing, she begins to walk away once more. Loki, however, quickly recovers his wits and grabs her wrist, pulling her in towards him and kissing her. Although pleased with the kiss, Alexandria can't help but feel cheated, like he is avoiding what is truly important and so she soon pushes him off her.

"You are lucky I won't reduce myself to slapping you like Jane did," she pronounced, before turning to leave once more, frustrated with the fact that she had been unable to solve any of her current problems, but rather ended up adding to them.

Reaching the heavy doors, this time uninterrupted by a shell-shocked Loki, Alexandria pulled with all her strength. The door, however, didn't budge, and so, frustrated, she tried pushing to avail. Feeling tired and ready to through a fit, her day was just getting worse and worse by the second, and so she decided to seek unwanted aid.

"Rai, please come out," she whispered, looking at the pendant hanging around her neck.

Glowing at first, Rai's form appeared in front of her, "You called, Mistress?"

Sighing, "Yes, I can't seem to be able to get out, could you please help?"

Shifting a bit, Rai shook his head, "I cannot, Mistress, you see, Lady Frigga's has been worried and it is she who has locked you and Lord Loki in here. She wishes that you two may fix any issues, in fact, I must already be leaving," Rai said, as he bowed and disappeared, the Mjolnir charm disappearing with him, leaving only the crescent moon behind.

As his words dawned, Alexandria felt herself grow weary, she was trapped in here with Loki, and she could already feel the world crumbling down as she slid against the wall and landed on the floor with a thump. From where he stood, Loki was, for once, pleased at the thought of conniving entities and meddlesome mamas.

* * *

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	11. Closer Than We Thought

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers, Thor, or Loki, I only owe Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family, and my plot line...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Looking at the moving images on her desk, Frigga smiled at Mjolnir's useful creation. From what she had observed in the shimmering screen, the young couple had remained stubborn thus far, but the look in her son's face was enough to let her know that it wouldn't last much longer. Although considerably patient in most occasions, like everything else concerning them, mankind's defender seemed to be the exception, something that eased the queen's troubled heart. Her prince had found his princess, something that contented her motherly urges, and would hopefully satisfy her urge to become a grandmother, she really just wanted grandchildren to spoil rotten, however, for now, she was satisfied.

Distracted by such pleasant thoughts, she almost did not hear her other son as he made his typical, raucous entrance. Standing up, regal as ever, she turned from her writing desk, which was facing opposite the door, she surreptitiously grabbed the wand and hid the shimmering screen, all the while facing her son down with a raised eyebrow, her typical response to him barging in noisily. She remained standing in front of the desk, however, as she almost leant back into it, her stance almost protective.

"Thor, how many times must I remind you of the fact that you cannot barge in like that? I am both your mother and your queen and as such I deserve, at the very least, a little bit of privacy, one that includes everyone having to ask for permission before entering my chambers."

Thor, who had been purposefully striding in, stopped midstride and turning to look away from his mother, he blushed, thoroughly scolded. After consoling and licking his wounded pride, he looked up into his mother's eyes. Observing a small glint in them, he sighed in relief. His mother's eyes were gleaming with happiness; he wasn't in any real trouble. Suddenly remembering the reason for his noisy barging, he spoke.

"Mother, what is this that I hear about you kidnapping my trainee?"

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Frigga, who was a slightly annoyed at Mjolnir for giving her away, barely kept herself from bursting out in a very, unladylike snort of laughter, "Do you really believe she would have gone to you on her own free will? The girl was already hiding, I simply aid her in her task of avoiding you," her eyes twinkled.

Looking at his mother in surprise, Thor answered, "She must be trained, mother."

Nodding, Frigga smiled, a secretive little smile, "And she will, my dear boy, however, as of right now, there are greater issues to be solved, issues I am already working on. I would recommend you not to worry, I will ensure she receives her training, even if it does not come from you," she finished, her tone dismissive.

"But mother, she must be trained by me," Thor complained, his tone whiny.

"No, she _mustn't_," Frigga answered, glaring slightly and hoping to truly dismiss her son this time, her attempt to do so failed miserable, however, when Mjolnir's sudden interrupted them.

"My Queen and Lord, we must hurry, the castle is under attack."

Both mother and son froze for an instant before coming to their senses and moving towards the door, the wand and cube lay forgotten in the writing desk alongside the hidden shimmering screen.

* * *

As she sat, face buried and knees hugged to her chest, Alexandria tried her best to relax. She knew it was long overdue, this conversation they were to have, but that did not mean she wasn't terrified and worried. So many things could go wrong, and if the last few days, days filled with contradictions, were anything to go by, she was sure it wasn't going to end well.

But as she tried her best to remain calm, she hated the fact that she was struggling with her nerves so much lately, she kept surreptitiously glancing at Loki, who had so far remained standing. As she raised her head the tiniest bit, she was able to observe Loki once more and the determined glint she caught in his eyes with her own fringe concealed ones, had her moving into action. If they were going to do this, she would at least try to have the upper hand for as long as possible.

"Are you a study of character?" she said, her voice barely a whisper and almost hoarse.

Surprised and confused, Loki paused to observe her. He wasn't expecting this, after all, Alexandria had appeared determined to avoid and evade. What had him really struck, however, was her question: _Whatever could she mean? What an unusual question, especially given the moment,_ he thought, before deciding to ask her.

"Pardon me?"

Smiling slightly and almost sadly at his clear confusion, Alexandria clarified, "Are you a study of character? Are you an observer, one that can obtain and deduce someone's traits and personality just by observation, without direct contact, simply by remaining in the shadows and seeing those who believe themselves unseen?"

Still confused, and with his brow now furrowed in a frown, he answered, "Yes, I am a study of character, it brings me... pleasure, however, I do not see what this has to do with anything..."

Giving him that small, melancholic smile once more, she laid her head back, eyes closing for a moment, before she looks at him, "Patience, grasshopper. I, Loki, am a study of character as well; nonetheless, you are the first person I cannot deduce, not even through direct contact. You see, Loki, I know your past, or at least part of it, I know of your grave mistakes, I know what you have suffered, but I do not know you. I thought I did, back when we were on Earth and you were living and we kissed goodbye, but, if the last few days have taught me something is that I do not, in fact, know you. These past few days you have gone from caring and protective... boyfriend to a jealous man to hiding away from me for two days, all in a span of less than four days, Loki..."

Hearing her words, Loki paused. It was true, he had been inconsistent, his attitude and manner changing to suit his plans, the ones that were still at a stand-still, he had not found enough information yet, something that was already making him grow weary, the burden that were his misguided actions was once more weighing heavily on his shoulders. But really, the reason behind his actions was the same, which was truly the only consistency within him, his deep, dare he think it, love and concern he felt for his mother and _his_ Dria.

As his thoughts turned full circle and back to her, he also recalled her own inconsistencies. Although hers were less than his own, she did seem to be struggling a bit lately. The last two days of planning had turned into two days of quiet observation and contemplation, two days of cowardly hiding because of his inability to face his own actions, let alone face others so soon after this mistake, in fact, Mjolnir had been his only contact in those days, the entity truly didn't understand the need for rest, in those two days he had noticed.

He had noticed the sudden fear that plagued her, how although seemingly brave at times, there was something, deep within, that was holding her back. He had noticed how although she seemed to search for him with hope, she also felt relieved at being able to postpone seeing him, something he began to understand now. He saw how her sarcastic stance waivered when confronted to demons, but remained and strengthened when she confronted his own. She was protective of what was hers, to the point she forgot herself and to him, this was yet another inconsistency, especially giving her attitude the past few days, however this inconsistency they shared.

Through this internal struggle, one that only lasted a minute, his thought process getting away from him, he moved towards her, sitting himself on the floor. He did so with a certain grace, one that reminded a weary Alexandria of Frigga and her regal posture, making them seem suited for royalty, even more so than Odin and Thor ever would. Forcing herself to relax, she stretched her legs and leaned backward as Loki prepared himself to speak.

"You are one to talk," he commenced, chuckling darkly before sobering, "You, Dria, are a walking enigma. I struggle on a daily basis to comprehend, yet you baffle me at every turn. There is always this new side to you, a side I had never seen, I side I thought nonexistent and one that is yet another side to you. It is true that you maintain your values and principles up close, that you follow your own set of morals, and yet, like everything else about you, they are an inconsistency."

Nodding, Alexandria raised her blue eyes and looking into his own emerald, she stated, "Yes, well, you are a walking paradox," she then paused, leaned her head back and closed her eyes, sighing tiredly, "How is it that two people who are so different can have so much in common?"

Loki looked at her, earnestly answering, "Yes, well, I believe we were not meant to fit into any sort of standard and therefore we remain like this, searching for a balance between the many forms and shapes we carry within, between mask and roles, trying to find the right one and through this, we somehow found each other and our inconsistencies and struggles just kind of... clicked."

The melancholic smile made its reappearance, "When did you become so wise? Last time I checked you were the God of Mischief and Lies not of Wisdom and Knowledge."

Looking at her, he cocked his head, confused, "Wise? No, I don't think so, I know I do not know many things, I just like to pretend I do," he said, smiling cockily in the end.

Laughing just the tiniest bit, both his cocked head and cocky smile were too much for her to resist, she answered, "Allow to be the first one to say that to Socrates you would be the wisest of men, after all, not many admit their deficiencies."

He shrugged, "Isn't that the point of this all, for us to admit not only who we truly are, so that we might move on, but also to admit what we are not?"

Alexandria nodded as the ease within her grew. It seemed the queen had been right, this was very much needed, and somehow, finally, with just the two of them stuck there, the walls fell and crumbled, allowing them to open up and patch things up.

"So what now?" she asked, hoping for a solution to their current state of uncertainty.

Looking at her, Loki paused. He wished to tell her that they should make it official, that they could court, much like his brother and Jane were, but his current political position did not allow it so.

"Now, now, we start over, we work together, we learn about each other and we wait, wait until we are both ready to move on to the next step, until we are ready for this... relationship or until this war ends, whichever happens first."

Looking at him, she nods, "Third time's the charm," she then leans forward and kisses his cheek, "I still love you, Loki, I just truly believe we need a break, one that allows us to get to know each other and to deal with this war and then, once this is behind us, we can try this out."

For his part, Loki simply nodded, trying his best to stop himself from confessing something he shouldn't, the guilt already eating at him.

"Why where you hiding?" he asked, trying to change the subject in hopes of a distraction.

Alexandria looked at him, slightly taken aback by the lack of response to her words and by the sudden change of subject, but answers anyway, "I am hiding way from Thor. The guy is trying to kill me, I am sure of it; he is torturing me into a not-speedy-enough death with those training sessions of his."

Chuckling, Loki answered, "You could ask mother to train you, she trained me and I survived."

"Maybe," she pensively answered, "I would prefer just training with Rai, but maybe."

Loki rolled his eyes, he was sure that it was her hate for physical exercise the reason why she didn't accept the offer, "I'll even join you two, just train with mother, please?"

The look in his eyes had her giving in, causing the conversation to move on to the next topic. Unseen, a figure observed them as they talked, a cruel smile appearing in the face of the shadow hidden creature. Said shadowed creature, however, soon grow bored, the couple being far too pleasant for its taste. Deciding that no more information was to be found, he retired from the room, he had enough information and thought it best to join the others. The girl would be good bait or at least could be exchanged for a worthwhile ransom. As they shadowed creature made its exit, however, he missed the next valuable topic of conversation: the Tesseract.

* * *

As she stood vigil, Frigga paced slowly as she balanced her daggers in her hands, watching everywhere, hoping that no one would think of coming her way. She was standing guard on the library door in hopes that even under the attack; the young couple could still solve their issues and talk everything out. Her hopes for an easy duty were cut short, however, when she heard a pair of feet nearby. It wasn't long before she was confronted by one of the mask wearing, as all of the dark elves and allies did, creatures reached her.

"Lady Frigga guarding the library door, now who would have thought?"

"My guarding of any area of the palace when it is under attack should come as no surprise, Surtur, the fact that you know what is behind these doors should be," Frigga answered as she begin circling around the round table in front, Surtur doing the same from his side.

"I have visited before, my Queen," Surtur said as his lips curled into a sort of nasty grin.

"Not often enough," Frigga nearly spat as she stopped, willing for Surtur to come now that she was far away from the door, at least enough so.

Nearing up to the Queen, Surtur's smile increased as he held his sword ready to fight.

* * *

"Have you truly not found a thing yet?"

"Yes, for such an advanced civilization, your records concerning the past and the history of it are far from acceptable."

Loki nodded absentmindedly. He had been hoping that the library could aid her in finding out what it was within the Tesseract that could save them all. Maybe they did need help from the wise.

"You know who the fates are, correct?" Loki asked.

Before Alexandria could answer, however, a sudden crash from the outside caused them to freeze. Moving to the door, they both leaned on it and tried to listen. The sound of muffled voices and the clinking of blades made them apprehensive.

"Loki, can you teleport yourself out?" Alexandria asked.

Shaking his head in irritation, he answered, "Mother was very thorough."

Furrowing her brow, Alexandria contemplated her options before recalling Rai's ability to teleport out, even with Frigga's spells, charms, and magical wards.

"Rai, we need you," she said, hoping for the club's help.

_'You called, mistress?'_ A voice from within her head asked.

_'Please come, we are in need of your aid,'_ she thought back in relief.

Within seconds, Rai's glowing figured appeared, "What is the matter, mistress?"

"We must go out, Rai, something is wrong," she answered.

Looking at both of them, Rai noticed how much more at ease they both were. His Queen's plan had succeeded, up to a point at least, "If you and Lord Loki have solved your issues, mistress, the door shall open, otherwise, I cannot aid you. I may come in and out as I please, but neither may come with me."

Looking at each other, they hoped it was truly over with and as such, they moved to open the doors together. After a bit of teamwork and effort from both, the doors budged, allowing them to exit the library. Upon leaving, they immediately noticed the two figures in front of them. At the moment it seemed that Frigga had overpowered her opponent. Hearing the creak of the doors, both Surtur and Frigga turned to look at them, Surtur taking the chance to disappear within a large, burning flame. Bewildered at the sight, both Loki and Alexandria looked at Frigga in hopes of an explanation. The bursting of another door, however, kept them from it, as Odin and Thor, followed by Jane, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three entered, all trying to ensure that the Queen was alright as they worked to understand the sudden appearance and disappearance of the Fire Demons.

It seemed as if the war was nearing than any of them thought.

* * *

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	12. Of War Preparations & Loathsome Training

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers or Loki, only Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Sitting on one of the chairs at the end of the table, Loki quietly watched the ongoing meeting. Different rulers from the Nine Realms, with the exclusion of Svartalfheim, Muspelheim, or Jotunheim and Midgard, the first three for obvious reasons (they truly were in no good terms with any of those, and the Frost Giant had yet to forgive the events of three years past) and the last one because it had no specific leader (and yet they cursed him for trying to offer himself as one, he really did see it as a need, although at least they had to members who would aid, and if needed, he knew the cursed _Avengers_ would help, alongside S.H.I.E.L.D.) sat at the table. The men surrounding him were discussing not only the planned alliance, but Malekith's reason for trying to conquer the universe. It was when the conversation took this turn and the many men became pensive that they all hushed and suddenly turned to look at him. He only raised an eyebrow in response.

"Brother... um, perhaps you may know the reason behind his search of power?" Thor spoke up, his tone hesitant.

Rolling his eyes, Loki felt annoyed at the fact that they so readily assumed that because of his past villainous actions, not that he denied them or anything, he could understand the reasoning behind every evil mastermind that they came upon.

Likewise, the fact that Surtur and therefore Malekith had gone back on their deal, threatening his mother thus, was another cause of his irritation. He had already, fruitlessly, tried to free himself from his side of the deal, for a moment he had been sure that the breach would free him, relieving him more than he would ever admit, but it was all too naught. He had been assured, while being held at the end point of at least twenty blades, that Surtur was the one at fault, the one who would pay, Loki doubted Malekith needed an excuse for that, and that if his own end of the deal was not fulfilled, soon, both his beloved (Malekith's words) and his mother would pay for his mistake by perishing a terrible, painful death.

Feeling unnerved at the thought of so many eyes on him, however, prompted him to answer as best he could, even though he was unpleased ,using a quote from some actor or another that Dria had mentioned since she so admired him.

"I was told a wise man once stated that 'every villain is a hero in his own mind,'" he pronounced, allowing not only the rest, but himself to take in the words and analyze them.

Knowing the truth behind the quote and watching as the men surrounding him began to realize it, he tried his best to distract himself. Remembering, once more, who had repeated the wise words to him, Loki's thoughts soon took a path of thought far more pleasurable. Since the forced reconciliation by his meddling mother and the nosy entity, he had been able to spend more time with Dria and had been able to already guide her to the right path. He knew it was only a matter of time now, before she discovered the key to victory.

Hearing the soft hum of a new conversation commencing, Loki wished to be elsewhere. Anywhere really, even with the ladies who were entertaining the ladies of their own visitors. At the moment he would give anything to be there, sitting next to Dria and his mother, even if he would have to stand pretentious ladies who would look at him as much conceit as Sif and Jane already did. Hearing as the discussion become a heated one concerning the best war tactics, Loki sighed, feeling jealous of a lucky Mjolnir once more. Deducing that the discussion would lead them nowhere any time soon, he allowed his thoughts to wonder to more pleasant memories:

_Scribbling the last of his notes, Loki stopped to read them through. After his last fruitless conversation with Malekith, he dedicated his time to aiding Alexandria. He was still a firm believer that if someone were to figure out the way to end it all, without him risking exposure, it was her, thus he aided her in her training and researching. And now, here they sat, him looking over his notes, he had taken them himself to clue her in, and her, playing with his hand, a favourite habit of hers. Turning from his notes, he looked at her, for a moment forgetting about the Tesseract and the Dark Elves and rather wandering the reason behind this persistent habit, especially since they were not in any, explicit, romantic terms._

_"Why do you do that?" he asked, his voice coming out in a whisper, they usually spoke very quietly when in the library, both being dedicated book lovers. _

_Hearing the unexpected statement, Alexandria froze before frowning and tilting her head in confusion, "Do what?"_

_Observing the expression in her face, Loki tried his best not to laugh (she looked adorable, not that he would ever admit, mind) and answered, "That which you do, Dria," he stated, before finally releasing a chuckle as her frown increased in irritation, "...playing with my hands."_

_"Oh," she stated in surprise before shrugging and answering, as she stared at Loki's hand in between her own, "It's just something I always do, I do it with Joe, I do it with Sammy, I do it with Tony. I guess, it is just something that stuck with me. My dad and I, we... we used to do this all the time, you know, this kind of banging of hands, it was something he would do to distract and entertain me and I guess... I guess I just find great comfort in it."_

_A sudden silence surrounded them as she finished stating this. The last couple of days they had been far more open about their private matters and they had slowly managed to open up, if only a bit and little by little and as such the subject of the statement wasn't all that much of a surprise, however the it was one rarely discussed. As they remained like that, quiet and lost in thoughts, Loki was the first to react and moving his hand, he started bouncing it softly against hers._

_"Mother... mother and I, we would often sit together on spring afternoons, under the blossom trees and we would read," he said, looking away to avoid himself from flushing. He always offered a bit of himself back, but it was still hard to do so._

_Tilting her head once more, she curiously asked, "Do you not do it anymore?"_

_He shook his head in response, "I believe I may have grown old, at least, that was what All-Father pronounced when he decided I was spending too much time with mother."_

_Frowning, she really didn't appreciate the idea of _that_ man breaking up a mother and son, she answered, "Then we must go and do it someday, just sit under a blossom tree and read."_

_Although he appreciated the motion, it did not ease or comfort him, so he made the sudden decision of changing the subject._

_ "I believe we must get back to work," he said, clearing his throat._

_Nodding, she could understand that he wasn't comfortable, she straightened, she had been sitting with her legs pointing towards Loki's chair, and grabbed her notes as well as his own._

_"So, if I understood correctly, the Tesseract, well, it is not limited to anything is it? It is just this substantial source of pure energy and power, raw and strong."_

_Handing her the book he had just summarized, he stated, "Yes, crude energy and power in its purest form. In fact, I believe it possess a similarity to a Midgardian word... a Greek word I believe... atomos, yes, that's it, the indivisible source of everything. However, is it good or bad?"_

_Shrugging, she looked up from the passage she had been reading as he spoke and answered, "Goodness and evil are relative, and nevertheless if I had to assume, something I don't like to do, I am no fan of making an ass of anyone, I would have to state that it is good. The objects power is based on the most natural, most unadulterated forms of energy and power; the Tesseract sisters all possess a name that means light, or the possession of it; all books, stories, and tales point to a relative goodness."_

_He answers with a raised eyebrow as the corners of his mouth raise the tiniest bit in amusement, "Indeed."_

_Rolling her eyes, she quickly sobered and said, "But, how is this of any help? We still lack a name, I have a feeling the Tesseract's true name is of utmost importance. I believe I must speak to them again, yet I know we will never see eye to eye in this subject."_

_"Yes, well, I already stated that books are not the only source of knowledge, you must simply seek another one."_

_Nodding in order to avoid any conflicts that might otherwise arise, Alexandria could only think about the ironic contrast between his words and actions as a plan started to form itself in her mind._

The bang of a chair falling backward as one of the allies stood in outrage brought Loki out of his reverie. Observing the cacophony that was about to commence, Loki cursed his luck once more. Suddenly, however, he got an idea of how to escape the torture.

* * *

Shifting the slightest bit, Alexandria tried to sit as comfortable as possible in the elegant gown she wore. Looking at the gathered party, she once more admired Frigga's poise and elegance given the inaccessibility of such an odd and constraining outfit, nonetheless she was admittedly please with the colour scheme, in all truth, blues, green, and golden worked together well, creating a remarkable sight.

Studying the women around her once more, she remembered the awkward introduction. Being a mortal with no royal training, she had messed up at least one hundred times and really, Frigga's manner of introducing both her and Jane, stating to all the ladies present that they were her "future daughter-in-laws" (an announcement that left Sif looking as if she had sucked a lemon, she was sure that the warrior lady was in love with an oblivious Thor) wasn't aiding her in anyway. She was in even more display, because really, a mortal Midgardian in Asgard and a friend and guest of the rulers was a big deal, there was certainly no need for that pronouncement from the meddling mama.

Trying to imitate Frigga's posture, for all that she didn't see Frigga through rose-tinted eyes like Loki did (he was a true mama's boy, not that anyone who didn't look close enough, could know and not that she minded, really) she knew the woman was the epitome of nobility and really, these past few days taught her that there was more to the woman that meets the eye. She sighed, hoping for it to be done soon, she hated these things, this pretending in front of others but was already somewhat used to it thanks to Joe, however, that did not make the task any more pleasing and thus she found herself wondering how Loki was doing, prompting her to play with her necklace, which suddenly drew other's attention.

"Whatever is that, Miss Darcy?" Njord's daughter asked.

Surprised, she turned to look at the haughty girl but was unable to answer when Rai interrupted.

"It is a gift, Princess Freya, _Prince_ Loki gave it to my Mistress, as a promise to his betrothed."

Alexandria frowned slightly at the response. It seemed that Rai, who was only allowed to stay as a protection to the ladies, she had almost rolled her eyes at that because really, if any women could hold their own, they were most certainly here in the room, she knew that at least Frigga, Sif, Jane and herself wouldn't go down without a fight, was determined to help Frigga in her task of making her appear as Loki's fiancée even if they had no clear understanding, they were barely getting to know each other. Thinking about Loki, she suddenly recalled one of her many training sessions that had left her whole body aching:

_Stretching, Alexandria thought about the fact that Loki had managed to convince her to train with his mother, although really after knowing that the woman had been able to hold her own against a Fire Demon, when all she had done was quiver, it hadn't been all that hard, after all, even if that did not demonstrate the woman's ability, the fact that she had trained Loki, a very adept warrior, was proof enough. _

_"Mistress, will Lord Loki be joining be joining the training session this afternoon?" Rai asked as he leaned against the wall, watching her stretch._

_"Yes, Rai, he will," she stated as she commenced jogging._

_Growing bored as he tried his best to keep an eye out for any visitors, Rai decided to join in on the jog as she started on the third loop. After a few more loops they stopped, Alexandria struggled to catch her breath as she stared at Rai, who seemed rather at ease. Glaring softly, she moved to say something when the sound of another voice stopped her._

_"I see you have already began, that is wise, my dear," Frigga stated as she walked in, regal as ever and wearing her usual outfit, followed by Loki._

_"Now, I know both Thor and Mjolnir have been training and I wish to see just which skills you have developed," she paused and motioned to Loki, "Now, my dear boy, you are to fight Alexa... that way I may observe, however I wish for the both of you to limit the power usage to the minimum, just physical work," pausing again she turned to Alexa, "Just what weapons have you be trained in?"_

_"Swords, daggers, and Midgardian fire guns, Madame," Alexandria answered as she finished catching her breath._

_Giving a small and sharp nod, Frigga motioned for them to commence. Moving to get a weapon, she reached for a sword as she saw Loki do the same. As they moved to the centre of the room, Alexandria took a deep breath._

_"Think you can keep up?" Loki asked sassily._

_Rising to the bait, Alexandria answered, "I can do more than just keep up, old man."_

_"Now, now Dria, you cannot think that will put me off, I know your taste in men quite well," Loki answered as he moved forward sauntering, sword in hand. He knew this to be true, he was over a century old, after all._

_Smirking in response, she answered, "Well, aren't you lucky?"_

_Alexandria moved her sword to swat away his own, which was, very seductively, placed against her exposed neck. The fight commenced, the clinking of swords echoed as Alexandria tried her best to use what little skills she had from what Thor and Rai had taught her. Throughout their battle, own could see the obvious difference in skills. Where Loki was graceful and moved with ease, Alexandria stood as a stark contrast, moving in a clumsy manner and struggled to maintain her balance. Soon enough, she started losing, no that it surprised anyone, and Frigga called for them to stop._

_"You lack grace, my dear, and it will cost you dearly if you do not acquire," she stated as she moved towards Alexandria and grabbed her sword, "Observe, take note, and try to notice the way in which I move my feet, it all depends on how well you place yourself."_

_Moving to join Rai, she observed with obvious fascination as she saw them fight. If she didn't know any better, she would have believed that each movement had been practiced, synchronized. Watching mother and son battle, well, it looked more like a dance, almost like a waltz with swords, all beautiful and graceful. Taking notice of their movements, Alexandria noticed how Frigga's feet moved gracefully, almost not touching the floor as she slide. She stood in with her feet separated, a small distance between them, it allowed her to maintain her balance as she stood almost like a ballerina would. Suddenly, they finished their dance, neither heaving, neither breaking a sweat._

_"That's amazing," the young woman whispered in awe._

_"I am glad you believe so, my dear, because when I am done with you, you will move just as gracefully," Frigga answered._

_Looking in between Loki's gleaming eyes, that mischievous gleam of his, and Frigga's unnerving smile, Alexandria gave out a loud and nervous gulp._

Wringing her hands, Alexandria recalled the many sessions they had had. They had increased in intensity and now not only did they include regular fighting lessons with Loki, but also some battles with Rai and Frigga. And some usage of her special powers, transferring the electricity within her to the weapons she used. And as such, from all that training, she had gained a bit more knowledge of Loki. She had observed in their adventure into the demon territory, that Loki transformed into his natural Frost Giant form, allowing his powers to increase in strength. It was due to this observation that she had suggested he use this form for battle. So far it had worked.

Hearing the sudden sound of a slight screech, Alexandria turned to look up. One of the younger ladies, this was her first time out, it seemed, was surprised by the sight of a small kitten in front of them. Said kitten moved around the chairs of the tea table and made its way to her and sat on her lap. Observing the kitten with black fur and emerald eyes, she smiled and caressed. Without her noticing, Rai and Frigga shared gleaming look, as Sif and Jane, for the first in agreement for over a week, muttered about rude and mischief crating gods.

* * *

"Nat, you really should tell him, Alex was right about that."

Looking up from her work, yet more information concerning Alexandria, who they had figured was somewhere in Asgard now, doing god knows what, and still MIA, she answered.

"Tell who what, Steve? If you are to give me some advice, at least make sense when doing it."

Scowling a bit at her rudeness, he answered, "You know what and who I am speaking of. If you will not tell him, however, I assure I will."

Shaking her head, she glared, "What is it to you if I tell Clint how I feel? Just stay out of it, I truly shouldn't have trusted you with this."

Hurt and offended, he gave a sharp nod and stood. Just as he reached the door of Stark Tower's meeting room, he turned to look over his shoulder and at an inclined Romanoff.

"You are right, perhaps it is none of my business, but I do know one thing for sure, you do not have forever, and the longer you wait, the worst it will be, because one day you will realize you have lost your chance," here he paused as he noticed the stiffening of her shoulders, "And I am rather disheartened that you regret that decision."

With that, he left. It had been a while now, of them working together, and he had begun to care for the assassin deeply, therefore it had truly hurt. Especially so, since he had discovered a soft spot he held for her, she reminded him so much of his long last love, his beloved Peggy, both were woman who did not keep up with man, rather required for the men to keep up with them.

As the door closed, Romanoff sighed and buried her face in her hands. She had truly messed up this time, especially so since she couldn't understand this sudden and very acute feeling, almost like painful guilt.

* * *

**_Please review, my lovely readers._**


	13. So close, yet so far away

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Avengers or Loki, only Alexandria, Rai, the Tesseract sisters, and Alexandria's family...**

**Sorry I took forever... I kind of broke my wrist and have had to not only do projects and like a gazillion tests but I even had the SAT so I have been busy and my typing is slower than usual... sorry...**

* * *

"Are we truly doing this?"

"We must discover which inhabitants of the Realms or the nations within them, are truly on our side. We cannot face that risk again," Thor stated answering Sif's question.

"Then, who is to go and where?" asked Sif, she had a feeling they would split up and she was truly hoping to go with Thor. She was likewise hoping that neither Midgardian (especially the Jane woman) nor Loki would join them.

"We will split up, the Warriors Three will go together and you, Lady Sif, will accompany me as we go visit the rock giants."

At this, Hogun spoke up, a true rarity, really, "Are neither Midgardians joining? And what about Loki?"

He wasn't a fan of the mischievous god, but knew how beneficial he could be, after all, of the two brothers, Loki had always been the level headed one, well, up until he discovered the truth of his origin, yet he still knew the dethroned prince's skills would aid them. Likewise, he had seen the training of both Midgardian women (although no one knew about him observing Alexandria, but he just needed to make sure that she could be trusted), and although it was clear that mankind's defender had a more natural skill when fighting, as well as a more stubborn head on her shoulders, the scientist possessed a more natural grace and an eye for detail, easily noticing the weaknesses of her enemies.

Recovering first from the shock of hearing Hogun, the _Grim_, speak, Fandral answered, "I do not believe I would mind some lovely female companions in this mission."

Thor turned to glare at his friend, the man really had no limit when it came to women and he was sure that it would get the man in some serious trouble soon enough.

"No, _my friend_, neither of them are joining us, nor is Loki. After what happened last time, we think it best for them to stay put, least the others take so much interest on them. Alexandria, however, has offered Mjolnir to aid me and it is therefore the reason Loki is staying. For all that my brother is trouble, I am sure that they will be fine under his and mother's protection, especially so since father has council meetings for the rest of the day."

"When are we leaving then?" asked an unfazed Fandral as Sif sighed silently in relief and thanked the Fates for working on her favour.

* * *

"Thor?"

"Yes, Lady Sif?"

"I do not think they appreciate our presence here."

"I must concur, Lady Sif, our attendance is not accepted."

As they spoke, the mass of warriors that surrounded, warriors that did indeed look unhappy with their visit, opened up in the middle as a rock giant entered, passing in the 'aisle' creating by the divided crowd. As he moved, his whole body, which was conformed of nothing but rock, shook as much as the earth underneath its enormous feet. Looking at the nearing monster, Sif tried her best to keep her fear from showing, she had worked too hard for her title of warrior and fear was not about to take it away from her. Turning to Thor, she spoke was once more.

"He's all yours."

Smirking, Thor moved forward, swinging Mjolnir in preparation. He knew that although Sif, his long time friend, would never show it, she was indeed scared by the gigantic beast. He also knew, even if he preferred to ignore said fact, since he didn't know what to do with said piece of knowledge, that Sif had a long time crush on him, if not something more, and although he disliked the idea of hurting his friend, his feelings were something he couldn't control.

He also knew, however, from confrontations by both his mother and Alexandria, who still could not believe how he had managed to get two intelligent and fierce women, she was already rethinking the intelligent part because really, the man was a dear, but too arrogant and buff for her taste and it truly made no sense to her why you would choose brawn over brain, as she had stated to him, he best fix it soon, before he hurt Sif even more.

It was, therefore, a relief to be able to be granted the opportunity to smash the rock giant; he needed a break from all the thinking and sentimentality. And so, giving Mjolnir one more full swing, he released it, sending Mjolnir in an upward formation, smashing the giant on its way up. Once the task was done, Mjolnir returned to him.

"Anyone else?" he asked with a grin.

The crowd stared and shared looks of fear. It seemed that they would become unwilling allies to the Asgardians, if only to keep themselves from that Fate.

* * *

Tiptoeing, Alexandria moved as silently as possible. It was finally late at night, meaning everyone was asleep and she was finally free. Her day had, for a lack of a better word, sucked. For starters she had been forced to put up with Jane all day long. Ever since little miss scientist had slapped Loki, neither had seen eye to eye, but rather than aid her in ignoring Jane, Frigga had thought it a wise idea for them to train together. Alexandria had, both surprisingly and thankfully, the upper hand in each of their battles. Frigga's training, while intense, was obviously more complete than the one Sif had provided to Jane, even when it was overseen by Hogun and Thor, who was now also aiding Sif in the task, since his pupil had chosen someone else as a mentor.

It was obvious that the fact that she also had her own set of, very electric, powers was an added bonus; however, she never used them against Jane. The only skills she used were those she had received through her previous training, the one Joe had put her through for many torturous years, and what she had learned from battling more skilled competitors like Loki, Rai, and Frigga herself. It was also obvious that Frigga's help and lessons concerning grace and balance had also improved her skills, giving Alexandria an unfair advantage, not that she hadn't taken it, well, at least until she started feeling bad for acting like such a bully.

As if having to train with Jane, and then having to deal with her the rest of the morning and early afternoon, it seemed the scientist had taken to try and make up for her rudeness to Loki by being nice to Alexandria and yet ignoring Loki all together, _oh, the irony_, wasn't enough, Alexandria had to put up with being followed by Loki everywhere she went. It seemed that in Rai's absence, Loki had taking his role as her protector a bit too serious (Loki didn't see it that way, however, he knew it was his job to protect her, even if he died trying, a fact our dear protagonist was unaware of).

The only relatively good moment in her day had been when she and Loki, sans Jane, had managed to go out of the palace grounds to explore the true Asgard. Of course, the late afternoon exploration would have been better if they hadn't been forced to be accompanied by at least four palace guards and two servants, all pointlessly sent to ensure that Loki did not escape because, really, if the man wished to escape, not even an army of guards could have stopped him.

Her afternoon, however, hadn't been fruitless, since not only was she able to practice her horseback riding, a skill she had recently obtained in Central America, but she also soon discovered that although people acted begrudgingly towards Loki, she was respected by the Asgardian people who commended "Mankind's defender and Mistress Silvertongue for her many successes and wisdom even when so young," their words. It seemed that their blatant appreciation of her only increased upon their visit to the town's market where she had publicly chastised Loki for a prank he had played because he was "bored." And yes, that's a direct quotation. Nonetheless, after their little display, the attention upon them increased, making Alexandria uncomfortable and she soon decided to call it quits, especially so since she needed to figure out who was the tattletale that went along singing her false praises.

In the end, this combination of things meant she had no moment to herself that day, keeping her from doing what she wished and stopping her from going through with her plan. Ever since that meeting with the four allies of the Nine Realms, in which Loki had managed to sneak his way out of his own meeting to go and create quite the discord amongst the ladies, not that she hadn't appreciated his presence, in fact, it was his sudden appearance what had set the plan in her mind, she had realized she needed to figure it out so that she may save those she loved. The thought of her family, friends, and Loki getting hurt was too much to bear.

And so here she was, sneaking around the castle once more, this time trying to stay away from everyone, Loki especially so. She knew that if he found out her plan to talk to the Tesseract sisters, giving the last incident with it, as well as her past with the artefact, she was sure that Loki would be, pun not intended, royally pissed. She needed to find out how she could stop Malekith, and if what Loki had been trying to hint at (she wasn't stupid, she knew that Loki was trying to give her the answer without outright saying what he knew, the reason behind it she had yet to figure out) they were the answer, but how and why, were the questions.

"For someone who suffers of perpetual clumsiness, you can surely move with stealth."

Stiffening, Alexandria stopped, leaving the door she was handling, open halfway. Turning to the source of the voice, she breathed out, "Sharmuta*," and fought to keep a glare from her face and the contempt from her voice as she spoke up.

"Yes, well, as an army brat living in military bases, stealth is not an option, but rather a need, sir."

Nodding, Odin looked at her closely before leaning into his seat, a comfortable looking armchair that gaze at the glowing fireplace within the now lighted room, "Ah, but you have improved lately, have you not?"

Smiling sardonically, she responds, "Yes, you may thank your wife for providing me with the necessary skills."

"May I ask, how is it that someone who warrants that respect is obtained through hard work from both parties, is so polite to someone they believe deserves none?"

Studying him closely, Alexandria sighed and sat in another armchair to Odin's side, she was now sure that her plans were once more thwarted. _Why, oh why?_ _So close, yet so far away._

"Have you ever heard the Midgardian expression 'kill them with kindness'?" she asked, Odin nodded in response, "Well, sir, it is my belief that one should do just that, be so extremely polite and civil to those who one dislikes or who dislike thee, and as such it will be the other party who suffers, not oneself."

Odin stared, looking at her contemplatively before stating in a pensive voice, "You are wise for one so young."

In her armchair, Alexandria stiffened once more, oh how she loathed it when people brought up her age, especially in comparison to her due wisdom and maturity, however, she struggled to answer.

"Yes, sir, I am well aware that you are centuries older than myself, but I am no child. As such, it is my belief that wisdom is relative to whom speaks and listens. You may listen and not agree or you may listen and agree, it is all your personal choice, therefore, wisdom cannot be precedent to age, to me it is a personal matter, it comes from one's own experiences. I have, for example, sir, travelled the world, Midgard, among other experiences I have lived and things I have learned, and as thus I have gained a sort of worldly understanding. Likewise, there is another Midgardian phrase, one that states how wisdom may sometimes come 'out of the mouth of babes' creating, yet another, juxtaposition to the idea that age and wisdom are dependent upon each other. So I must reiterate, age and wisdom, do not come hand in hand," she finished, finally breathing and sitting up, proud of her retort.

After a moment of silence, she turned to look at Odin's face, which was filled with contemplation, and paused, becoming pensive herself as she recalled one of her conversations with Loki a few afternoons back after spending hours training and researching. They had, in fact, discussed age and wisdom, as well as maturity, which led to both her and Loki comparing their brothers, Tony and Thor, as they were both rather immature, at least in most occasions, given their age and station. And what had started as a simple conversation, since they were still trying to get to know each other and their lives, and it had taken a disastrous turn, turning into a full blown out battle of shouts, yes shouts, since no true wits were involved.

_"Loki, you must play fair…"_

_"Play fair! Why must I play fair when Life doesn't?! Do explain that, Alexandria! Why is it that I must play nice just to get a semblance of redemption?! Why is it that Thor always gets everything and I nothing?! No matter how nice I play, I will never be loved and worshipped as he is, he will always be their golden boy, the one who can never err, because even when he does and is rightly punished for it, he is the victim, and I… when I try to fix things, make things right, I am still the bad guy… So, just stop this hypocritical charade of yours, end this idiotic masquerade, I will always be bad and insufficient and he will always be good and adored! I see a shadow, Alexandria, that is all I have ever seen, all I have known. I have grown and lived in the shadows of other, and now, now I have grown tired, now I will not stand for it anymore, it shall be my time to shine... it must..." _

_As he fell into a chair, Loki's rambling went from raging fire to dying flame, his words turning from full out shouts into melancholic whispers, all the while breaking her heart even more. Moving towards him, she gentle touched his cheek in assurance._

_"I know it's not fair, that you had it so hard when Thor had everything given to him served in a silver platter, pun not intended, but you don't see what I do Loki. You are better because of it, because you kept and keep on trying, you don't give in and all the while you try to remain true to yourself and you almost did, you simple lost yourself a little bit on your way. So yeah, you made some bad decisions, have committed many mistakes, but so has everyone else, yet you are trying to get back on track. You're neither bad nor evil, you are and have always been good and perfect and more than just enough, Loki. And you have to stop doubting yourself; you have to start giving yourself a chance… And you will shine Loki, you will have the chance, but playing bad guy does not become you and there are far better ways in which you can leave your mark," Leaning her forehead against his, she looked right into his eyes, "And you'll always have your mother, Loki, but most importantly you'll always have me…"_

She had come so close to breaking her promise at that moment, the promise they had made of waiting until the whole mess was fixed. Seeing the hurt in his eyes, the pain and insecurity of years, the bubbling rage finally reaching its limit, caused her to feel an almost instinctual urge of kissing away the pain and fear. In the end, she had settled for embracing him and burying her face in his neck as he buried his on her hair, all the time promising to try and fix things for him. And now she had the chance, if only she could get Odin to take a corrective action and fix his past mistakes.

"Why did you do it, sir?"

Startled out of his train of thoughts, for Odin was just beginning to realize how good this girl was for his son, a most fitting creature, even if only a mortal, he looked at her, confused and asked, "Why did I do what?"

"Why did you do it, why did you hurt Loki thus? Why raise him like you did, giving him false hope all the while, lying to him about who he truly was?" Alexandria asked, sitting forward in hope and search of answers.

Sighing, Odin answered, "I… I never wished for it to be the way it is now," here he paused, as the door opened suddenly and a small raven coloured cat entered, immediately sitting on Alexandria's lap as his emerald eyes were trained on Odin, suspiciously glaring at him.

Feeling the dull ache within him grow sharp once more, Odin stared at the emerald eyes before continuing his previous response:

"When I found Loki, he had been completely abandoned, no Jotun, not even Laufey, his father, cared about the poor baby. It was then when I decided to bring Loki with, and although I cannot deny that at the moment I had ulterior motivations, it was not so in the end. For all of my mistakes, for all of my regrets, the decision I took that day is not one of them. That day I gained a son. And yes, perhaps my actions from that moment on were not wise and maybe I should have gone about this a different way, but what is done, is done, I cannot change the past for all of my power and thus I cannot truly fix this. But let me assure one thing, just like a gained a son all those years ago, I lost said son over three years ago and it is a loss I still mourn."

Feeling the cat move in her lap as it averted it's gaze, she stared at the All-Father, suddenly noting the wrinkles and lines of old age, oh how weak and feeble and old he looked, so ancient and weary, he did, in all honesty, appear like a father who had lost a beloved son. And yet, for all that she appreciated his sentiments, his pain, she could not help but see the flaws in the words of the apparently world-weary and wise man. She decided to point thus out as the cat finally jumped from her lap, obviously disturbed and in need of some space, therefore vacating the room.

"You have yet to lose him, All-Father, but I may assure that you will lose him so with that attitude you carry about. What is the use of regretting if you take no actions to compensate your failings? You must act, sir, and fast, otherwise, he will be truly lost forever. I can assure, sir, that I know what I speak. I have lost a father and have gained another. So has Loki, do not force to lose another, to lose the only man he has loved and respected as a father," she whispered almost soothingly, trying to hopefully move the man into action by doing so.

Staring at the door through which the small raven haired creature had stepped out, he sighed and answered, "Again, you are very wise. Perhaps it is time to heed your advice, however, allow me to offer something of my own…"

Surprised, she couldn't believe he was actually listening to her, Alexandria nodded, begging him to continue.

"Although I will not pretend to understand why you seek the Tesseract, that which tore apart your family once, and almost did so twice, so much, I can say that my son is right. The source you seek is living; a person perhaps, maybe a deity or entity, I do not know, however I know where you should begin. Tomorrow, I am to seek council from my old friend Heimdall, he has been working with Thor. I could, of course, use a companion who may know something about Midgard, to… aid in my planning, and if said person wished to ask a few questions and perhaps explore the Tesseract a bit, I would not object to it," he stated, seemingly proud of himself.

Still shocked, she could not understand how he knew all of this about her, she simple nodded. Smiling at her state, he had finally managed to return the favour, if only once, he bid his leave, allowing her to contemplate. A sudden scrambling form outside the door brought her mental rambling to a short and she shook her head before she sought out the source of the noise.

Almost mechanically, Alexandria stood, seeking the noise out. She soon found a door that had been left ajar and neared. Watching through the small crack and leaning the tiniest bit, she observed Loki and Rai, who seemed to be in a heated discussion.

"Lord Loki, this is enough. I know I let go of my responsibility, for it is something I cannot handle at the moment, and passed it on to you, something I fear I rushed into, but please allow me to aid you."

"Why, Mjolnir, why if you are so obviously preoccupied, do you wish to aid? Do you not trust? Do you think so little of me, just like them?"

Rai froze. For all that Loki words and face appeared stone cold, he was able to sense the hurt on the young god. Recalling the conversation they had previously overheard, Rai sighed. He only wished to fix things, to aid the lost mischief god, yet he had only aided in adding salt to the open wound, one that cut deeper than any physical one could.

And then, remembrance brought all the wariness back. He was tired, he felt old, and he was worried. It was all happening too fast, too soon and the stubborn god and headstrong mistress were not aiding his cause, rather their need to throw caution out the window had him behind his intricate, well-concocted plans. And now, now he had made misspoken, erred, and screwed things up even more. Suddenly catching a glimpse of chocolate coloured hair, Rai commenced his apologies.

"My Lord, I seek only to help, for I wish neither your loss nor that of those whom you love," Rai bowed and without looking up, transformed, purposefully finding his way to Alexandria's pendant. Maybe a talk amongst them would solve things.

Following the disappearing ray of white light, Loki turned his gaze to the door beside him, freezing at the sight as he took in a deep breath, trying to mask all his feelings. Watching him, Alexandria perceived the hints of pain, hurt, betrayal, and worry within Loki, his eyes and body language betraying him to the observant girl. Feeling saddened by the mere thought of his pained eyes, she instinctively moved forward, softly cupping his face.

The night would be long, that she knew, but it mattered not, and even if she had left her plans incomplete and unattended, everything could await for the morning, when the sun shined at its brightest with the hope of a new day.

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*can be loosely translated to crap or shit

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**_Please review, my lovely readers._**


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